OMAR    KHAYYAM 


Uniform  with  This  Volume 

LIFE  OF 
OMAR   AL-KHAYYAMI 

By  J.  K.  M.  SHIRAZI 

i6mo.     Illuminated  boards 

81.50  net 


OF 


OMAR    KHAYYAM 

A  NEW  METRICAL  VERSION  RENDERED 

INTO  ENGLISH  FROM  VARIOUS 

PERSIAN  SOURCES 

BY 

GEORGE    ROE 

WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  AND  MANY  NOTES  AND 

REFERENCES,  AND   AN    ORIGINAL 

"  ODE  TO   OMAR  " 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG   £    CO. 
1906 


Copyright 

A.  C.  McCttRG  &  Co. 
1906 

Published  Nov.  3,  1906 


THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  CAMBRIDGE,  U.  S.  A. 


SRLF 
URL 


To 
MY   FELLOW   MEMBERS 

OF 

THE  OMAR  KHAYYAM  CLUB  OF  AMERICA 

AND    ESPECIALLY    TO 

MR.    NATHAN    HASKELL    DOLE 
MR.    CHARLES    D.    BURRAGE 

AND 

MR.    EBEN    F.    THOMPSON 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED  AS  A   TOKEN   OF  GRATITUDE 

FOR    THE    KINDNESS    AND    ENCOURAGEMENT 

I    HAVE   RECEIVED  AT  THEIR   HANDS 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION 7 

AN  ODE  TO  OMAR 21 

RUBA  1YAT  OF   O.MAR   KlIAY\AM 2(J 


INTRODUCTION 

JJETWEEN  those  English  versions  of  Omar  which  sacri- 
fice the  letter  to  the  requirements  of  good  verse  and  those 
which,  in  order  to  be  literal,  sacrifice  the  spirit  to  the  letter, 
there  is  a  great  gulf.  I  have  attempted  a  middle  course,  and 
the  following  stanzas  are  the  result. 

In  striving  to  accomplish  two  objects,  it  has  sometimes 
been  necessary  to  disregard  the  one  in  order  to  attain  the 
other,  and  hence,  while  my  desire  to  be  literal  may  have 
often  marred  my  verses,  my  desire  to  write  a  readable  poem, 
with  a  connection  between  the  stanzas  that  does  not  exist  in 
the  diwan  form,  may  have  tempted  me  to  depart  too  readily 
from  the  letter. 

Whatever  may  be  the  faults  or  merits  of  the  translation, 
however,  I  believe  that  the  marginal  references  cannot  fail 
to  prove  valuable  to  Omarian  students.  Upon  the  left-hand 
margin  is  given  the  number  of  each  quatrain  in  the  leading 
English,  German,  French,  and  Italian  translations,  while  the 
references  upon  the  right-hand  margin  indicate  some  of  the 
MSS.  and  reproductions  where  the  Persian  text  of  the  stanza 
may  be  found. 

With  the  exception  of  Mr.  FitzGerald's  masterpiece,  the 
English  metrical  versions  selected  for  comparison  have  been 
chosen  not  so  much  for  their  merits  as  poetical  compositions 
as  because  they  are  bona  fide  translations. 

Of  the  numerous  imitations  of  Mr.  FitzGerald's  poem, 
some  are  written  with  great  smoothness,  but  even  in  the  best 
that  have  come  to  my  notice  the  epigrammatic  terseness  of 

[7] 


INTRODUCTION 


Omar  is  beaten  out  into  such  a  long  string  of  musical, 
but  thin  and  weakly  stanzas,  that  it  seems  scarcely  lair  to 
hang  them  upon  the  heavy-laden  peg  of  the  old  tent-maker's 
reputation. 

The  compounding  of  two  or  more  quatrains  into  one,  or 
the  expanding  of  a  single  quatrain  into  many,  can  be  suc- 
cessful only  in  the  hands  of  genius ;  I  have,  therefore, 
avoided  such  an  attempt,  and  each  of  my  stanzas,  however 
imperfect,  is  the  representative  of  an  individual  ruba'i. 
Unlike  other  translators  who  have  followed  this  method,  I 
have,  however,  attempted  to  weave  the  separate  quatrains 
into  a  little  poem  whose  form  bears  no  resemblance  to  the 
disjointed  arrangement  of  the  original  MSS. 

The  metre  which  I  have  adopted  is  the  Iambic  Pentam- 
eter, but  I  have  occasionally  substituted  a  Trochee  for  the 
initial  Iambus,  and  in  one  line  it  has  seemed  desirable  to 
drop  entirely  the  final  Iambus. 

What  appears  to  be  the  generally  accepted  English  pro- 
nunciation of  proper  names  has  been  used  throughout,  al- 
though such  form  may  offend  the  ear  of  a  purist.  Thus, 
^1*  Kur'an,  becomes  Koran;  t^<  Bahrain,  becomes  Bahrain, 
etc.  Both  pronunciations  of  Bahram  are  used  by  Whin- 
field,  and  while  FitzGerald  writes  the  accent  upon  the  last 
syllable,  it  is  necessary  to  change  its  position  in  scanning 
the  line. 

In  selecting  the  Iambic  Pentameter,  I  have  been  influ- 
enced rather  by  the  usage  of  other  translators  than  by  that 
of  Omar  himself,  whose  various  forms  of  metre  generally 
contain  more  than  ten  syllables,  and  who  would,  therefore, 


INTRODUCTION 


be   better   represented   by   a   longer    measure,    sucli    as    the 
Alexandrine. 

Mr.  Whinfield  suggests,  in  his  scholarly  introduction, 
that  the  large  number  of  monosyllabic  words  contained  in 
English  counterbalance  the  brevity  of  the  decasyllabic  line, 
or,  in  other  words,  that  it  is  possible  to  express  oneself  in 
fewer  syllables  when  writing  English  than  would  be  possible 
if  Persian  were  employed.  This  would  undoubtedly  be  true 
of  that  form  of  Persian  used  in  India,  but,  as  Mr.  Scott 
Waring  pointedly  remarks,  "The  language  of  the  Persians 
is  wonderfully  laconic,  while  that  spoken  in  India  is  ridicu- 
lously verbose  ;  in  Persia  it  is  soft  and  sweet,  in  India 
harsh  and  disagreeable."  The  very  sweetness  of  the  Persian 
tongue,  however,  the  great  number  of  similar  sounds  pleas- 
ing to  the  ear,  and  the  ease  with  which  thoughts  can  be 
musically  expressed,  give  to  Persian  poetry  an  airy  lightness 
that  could  not  be  easily  reproduced  in  Alexandrine  verses  ; 
hence  the  choice  of  a  shorter  and  lighter  measure  is  prob- 
ably well  advised,  although  it  will  be  found  that  compara- 
tively few  of  the  Iambic  Pentameters  quoted  in  the  marginal 
references  have  been  able  to  bear  the  full  burden  of  the 
Persian  quatrains  which  they  represent. 

My  translation  follows  the  original  in  that  the  first,  second, 
and  fourth  lines,  and  occasionally  all  four  lines,  are  rhymed, 
and  in  that  the  rhyme-word  is  sometimes  thrown  back  a  few 
syllables,  and  followed  by  what  is  technically  knoAvn  as  the 
"redif"  or  rearward.  This  form  of  throwback  and  red  if 
often  gives  the  quatrain  a  quaintly  musical  sound  and  is 
excellently  illustrated  by  Mr.  Nathan  Haskell  Dole  in  the 

[9] 


INTRODUCTION 


following  stanzas,  which  he  has  kindly  permitted  me  to  quote 
from  his  "  Multi- variorum  "  Edition  of  the  Ruba'iyat :  — 

"  Sage  OMAR  I  would  thou  wert  alive  again  ! 
Then  might  we  surely  see  thee  strive  again 
To  gather  from  the  bitter  flowers  of  Fate 
Sweet  honey  for  our  human  hive  again  ! 

' '  The  stars  still  shine  as  once  they  brightly  shone, 
When,  as  they  watched  thy  terrace,  nightly  shone 

The  answering  flashes  of  thy  love  and  hate, 
And  red  gleams  of  the  wine-cup  nightly  shone  ! 

"  The  blood-red  petals  from  the  roses  fall,  as  then  they  did, 
Death  for  us  moderns  closes  all,  as  then  it  did  ; 

We  know  not  more  than  thou  didst  know  of  life-to-be  ; 
The  ruthless  Wheel  of  Heaven  disposes  all,  as  then  it  did. 

' '  But  thy  example  makes  us  brave  to  face  our  Fate  ; 
There  may  be  love  beyond  the  grave  to  grace  our  Fate, 
And  we,  meanwhile,  will  keep  alive  the  glow  of  life,  to 

be 

Worth  saving,  if  great  ALLAH  deign  to  save,  to  grace  our 
Fate. 

"  And  so  accept  this- volume  as  a  meed  of  praise, 

Altho  thy  Fame,  so  stablished,  hath  no  need  of  praise, 

And  thou  thyself  art  very  far  away  from  us  — 
So  far,  thou'dst  not  take  heed  of  blame  or  heed  of  praise. 

"  A  score  of  zealous  poets  have  translated  thee 
In  tongues  unheard  of  when  the  Mollahs  hated  thee, 

And  now  accept  their  tribute,  and  this  lay  from  us 
For  whom  thy  living  words  have  re-created  thee  !  " 

[10] 


INTRODUCTION 


Mr.  John  Payne,  in  his  translation,  published  by  the 
Villon  Society,  has  also  illustrated  the  remarkable  construc- 
tion of  Omar's  verses,  but  with  less  success  than  Mr.  Dole. 
Indeed,  while  the  Villon  translation  indicates  a  profound 
knowledge  of  Vedantic  and  Oriental  lore,  Mr.  Payne's 
stanzas  are  sometimes  but  little  short  of  astounding,  For 
example  the  following  ruba'i  :  - 


is  thus  rendered  :  - 

"  Those  Avho  of  sheer  old  wine,  unmingled,  drinkers  deep 

are, 
And  those  who  still  a-nights  in  prayer-niche  watch-a-keep 

are, 

Not  one  is  on  dry  land,  i'  the  water  all  a-heap  are, 
But  one  of  them  's  awake,  whilst  t'  others  all  asleep  are." 

Omar  has  had  many  translators,  in  many  tongues,  but 
Mr.  Payne's  verses  are  the  most  remarkable.  They  are 
written  in  rhyme  and  metre,  but  they  are  not  poetry  ; 
they  are  marvellously  literal,  but  they  fail  to  convey  the 
spirit  ;  they  are  written  by  an  evident  master  of  prosody, 
but  they  are  almost  devoid  of  music  :  and  yet,  despite  all 
its  shortcomings,  his  long  work  of  845  quatrains  bears  the 
stamp  of  learning,  experience,  and  industry. 

In  striking  contrast  to  this  version  is  the  poem  of  Mr. 
FitzGerald.  Its  longest  edition  contains  only  no  quatrains, 
of  which  less  than  half  are  translations,  and  the  remainder 


INTRODUCTION 


inspired  not  only  by  Khayyam  but  by  Hafiz,  Jami,  Attar, 
and  others.  Nevertheless,  FitzGerald  has,  Avith  the  magic 
touch  of  genius,  infused  into  the  few  quatrains  which  he 
has  given  us  more  of  the  spirit  of  Omar  than  all  the  other 
English  translators  combined.  Careless  of  prosody,  his 
work  is  full  of  music  ;  an  indifferent  Persian  scholar,  he 
grasps  the  poet's  meaning  with  marvellous  intuition  ;  with 
a  magnificent  disdain  of  the  letter,  he  presents  us  Avith  the 
kernel  of  the  thought ;  and  over  the  whole  he  throws  the 
magic  mantle  of  his  own  personality  and  talks  to  us  in 
words  that  flow  from  the  living  depths  of  a  poet  s  soul.  In 
one  point  alone  is  he  lacking,  and  that,  indeed,  is  not  by 
accident  but  by  design,  as  he  admits  in  a  letter  to  Profes- 
sor Cowell.  The  point,  as  I  understand  it,  refers  to  the 
Vedantic  doctrine  of  the  ultimate  reabsorption  of  the  soul 
when  freed  from  the  world-figment  or  Maya  of  individuality, 
in  the  Brahman,  or  Impersonal  Self  of  the  Supreme  Spirit. 
It  is,  however,  because  he  has  only  lightly  touched  upon 
this  belief  in  two  quatrains,  one  of  which  appears  to  have 
been  inspired  by  the  Mantik-ut-Tair  of  Attar,  that  the  chief 
raison  d'etre  of  the  following  work  exists. 

Whether  the  wine  and  love  of  which  Omar  sings  are  the 
wine  and  love  of  a  sensual  materialist,  or  whether  they  have 
a  spiritual  meaning,  such  as  is  generally  the  case  in  Sufi 
poetry,  is  a  much  debated  question.  It  is  highly  probable, 
however,  that  they  sometimes  signify  one  thing,  sometimes 
another,  for  written  as  they  \vere  at  different  periods  and 
without  reference  to  each  other,  the  quatrains  appear  but 
to  reflect  the  passing  mood  of  the  poet ;  sometimes  they 


INTRODUCTION 


overflow  with  the  vivacity  of  a  strong  animal  vitality  ;  some- 
times they  are  full  of  thoughtful  speculation  and  Avondcr  ; 
always,  indeed,  they  are  clever  and  epigrammatic,  hut  often, 
also,  do  they  tremble  with  a  note  of  sorrow  that  verges  on 
the  very  borderland  of  despair. 

That  Omar  was,  to  a  considerable  extent,  impregnated 
with  the  doctrines  of  the  Sufis  is  indicated  by  many  of  his 
quatrains.  Indeed  it  appears  that  the  Aryan  instincts  of  the 
more  intelligent  Persians  led  them  to  discard  the  Semitic 
materialism  of  Muhammad  for  a  belief  more  profound  and 
spiritual  than  anything  their  Arab  conquerors  could  teaqh 
or  appreciate.  Thus  it  was  that  the  Sufi  doctrine  arose,  a 
pure  pantheism  that  regarded  God  as  an  eternal  spirit,  with- 
out  beginning  and  without  end, — a  spirit  from  which,  at 
the  beginning,  our  souls  emanated  and  to  which,  in  the 
end,  they  surely  will  return. 

This  doctrine,  which  was  expounded  by  Plato  to  the 
Western  world,  and  by  the  profoundest  of  Vedanta  philoso- 
phers to  ancient  Hindustan,  found  a  fertile  soil  among  the 
thinking  minds  of  Persia,  who,  impelled  by  their  environ- 
ment to  an  outward  observance  of  Muhammadanism,  never- 
theless used  it  but  as  a  cloak  to  cover  the  tenets  of  a  purer 
and  a  loftier  creed.  Thus,  while  both  Sufi  and  orthodox 
Muhammadan  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  the 
former  professed  a  belief  in  the  final  reabsorption  of  the 
individual  spirit  in  the  divine  essence,  while  the  latter 
looked  forward  to  a  material  paradise  where  he  could  drink 
wine  and  rejoice  himself  with  black-eyed  houris,  by  the 
crystal  waters  of  the  River  Kusar. 


INTRODUCTION 


The  Moslem,  filled  with  visions  of  a  material  heaven, 
more  delightful  to  him  than  the  prospect  of  a  spiritual  re- 
union with  God,  boldly  faces  death  in  the  assurance  of 
sensual  pleasures  that  await  him  in  Paradise  ;  the  Sufi,  on 
the  other  hand,  believes  even  Paradise  to  be  a  part  of  the 
Maya  or  illusion  that  he  is  seeking  to  escape,  and  though 
he  may  welcome  death  as  a  step  toward  the  boundless  sea 
of  divine  love  for  which  he  longs,  ofttimes  he  cannot  for- 
bear a  sigh  of  regret  for  the  lovely  world  he  is  leaving. 
The  spring  breezes,  the  fragrant  flowers,  the  pleasures  of 
beauty  and  of  love  can  scarce  be  forsaken  without  a  passing 
shade  of  sorrow ;  but  as  the  bride  weeps  for  the  friends  she 
is  leaving,  yet  feels  a  new  joy  within  her  heart,  so  the  Sufi 
sighs  farewell  to  the  pleasures  and  beauty  of  the  world  and 
turns  toward  the  source  of  his  being  in  confidence  and 
peace. 

"Rejoice  in  the  spring  and  be  glad,  for  the  roses  will 
bloom  when  you  are  here  no  more,"  sang  Hafiz  ;  but  he 
knew  that  when  the  roses  were  blooming  over  his  grave 
his  soul  might  perchance  be  reabsorbed  in  the  divine 
essence,  for  he  has  told  us  that 

"  The  ocean  of  divine  love  is  an  ocean  that  hath  no  shore, 
In  which  we  have  no  remedy  but  to  yield  up  our  souls  [to 
God]." 

So,  too,  our  Omar  has  told  us  that  the  path  of  love  will 
lead  our  souls  till  they  are  lost  in  the  fountain  of  life.  But 
Omar  tells  us  many  things  which  we  cannot  easdy  reconcile, 
for  he  is  not  the  same  Omar  to-day  that  he  was  yesterday, 


INTRODUCTION 


and  who  knows  in  what  vein  we  may  find  him  to-morrow  ! 
In  one  mood  he  bids  us  drink  and  rejoice,  for  soon  shall  we 
lie  beneath  the  dust ;  and  in  another  he  warns  us  not  to  sell 
the  countless  ages  of  eternity  for  the  sake  of  earth's  momen- 
tary pleasures.  Now  he  rises  in  anger  against  the  ruthless 
Heaven  that  has  thrust  him,  helpless  and  unwilling,  into  a 
life  whose  weary  struggles  are  ended  only  by  •  death  ;  and 
now  he  turns  lovingly  to  the  eternal  source  of  being  and 
says  that,  knowing  the  secret  of  truth,  he  has  no  concern 
about  a  material  heaven  or  hell.  Sometimes  agnostic, 
sometimes  full  of  childlike  faith  ;  now  rebellious,  and  again 
in  a  little  while  fdled  with  the  spirit  of  gentle  thankfulness, 
he  is  in  all  his  moods  so  human,  so  like  ourselves,  that  his 
words  find  an  echo  in  every  heart.  And  though  in  distant 
Nishapur  he  has  been  so  long  asleep,  his  voice  comes  to  us 
down  the  ages,  still  vibrating  with  the  energy  and  magnet- 
ism of  life,  for  his  Avords  are  never  distant,  affected,  or  cold, 
but  always  the  honest  outpourings  of  a  living,  human  soul. 

That  the  Sufis  employed  such  terms  as  Avine,  beauty,  and 
kisses  to  express  religious  devotion,  the  perfection  of  the 
Divine  Being,  and  the  raptures  of'  piety,  is  undoubted  ;  but 
that  they  sometimes  used  them  in  a  sense  other  than  spiritual 
appears  equally  sure.  In  reading  their  poetry,  therefore 
one  must  determine  from  the  context  whether  the  meaning 
is  literal  or  spiritual,  although  it  seems  that  the  conclusions 
thus  reached  are  often  dependent  upon  the  individual  tem- 
perament of  the  reader  rather  than  upon  the  exercise  of  an 
unbiased  critical  faculty.  It  would  be  well,  however,  to 
bear  in  mind  that  one  of  the  greatest  among  them  has  told 


INTRODUCTION 


us  how  "they  profess  eager  desire,  hut  Avith  no  carnal 
affection,  and  circulate  the  cup,  but  no  material  goblet ; 
since  all  things  are  spiritual  in  their  sect,  all  is  mystery 
within  mystery." 

The  eight  concluding  quatrains,  which  are  not  properly 
a  part  of  this  translation,  were  suggested  by  Mr.  FitzGerald  s 
version,  and  have  been  retained  only  because  they  afford  an 
easy  method  of  indicating,  by  marginal  references,  some  of 
the  sources  of  his  charming  Kuza  Nama. 

Where  Omar  plays  upon  words,  as  for  example  where 
oU*  (Jan),  the  soul,  r^>  (jam),  a  cup,  and  *~U*  (jama),  a 
garment,  all  occur  in  the  .same  line,  I  have  generally  re- 
sorted to  the  clumsy  expedient  of  a  footnote.  Also  Avhere 
the  point  of  a  verse  depends  upon  the  position  of  a  single 
dot,  as  in  quatrain  98,  mere  translation  would  be  a  totally 
inadequate  method  of  conveying  the  meaning. 

To  this  latter  form  of  word-play  the  Arabic  alphabet 
readily  lends  itself;  hence,  in  Persian,  by  merely  altering 
the  position  of  a  dot,  the  meaning  of  many  words  may  be 
changed.  So  it  happens  that  a  trifling  change  of  position 
will  convert  a  neighbor  _,L>  (jar)  into  a  thorn  ^^  (khar) 
and  cause  crime  f-^  (jurm)  to  become  delightful  r_r^  (khur- 
ram),  while  the  addition  of  a  dot  \vill  convert  ihe  seas  _A^°. 
(bihar)  into  vapor  _,U=v  (bukhar),  or  transform  the  solution 
of  a  problem  J^  (hall)  into  the  sail  of  a  ship  J^  (jail)  ;  if 
the  position  of  the  dot  be  changed,  however,  so  that  J> 
(jail)  reads  J^  (khall),  the  ship's  sail  will  be  converted  into 
vinegar^.  The  footnotes  treating  of  these  and  other  matters 
were  originally  much  more  copious,  but  I  thought  it  wise 

[16] 


INTRODUCTION 


to  reduce  them  when  I  recollected  a  story  of  an  old  Scotch 
lady  who,  after  having  praised  in  high  terms  the  clearness 
of  a  certain  work,  added  ingenuously  that  she  "  hoped,  with 
a  micklc  mair  study,  to  understand  the  explanatory  notes  of 
the  editor." 

Working  far  from  the  great  libraries  of  the  world,  it  has 
not  been  possible  for  me  to  verify  all  the  right-hand  marginal 
references.  Most  of  them  have  been  made  upon  the  author- 
ity of  Mr.  Whinfield's  edition  of  i883  and  have  been  verified 
as  far  as  possible  by  comparison  with  other  reproductions, 
while  the  remainder  are  the  result  of  my  own  investigations. 

I  desire,  also,  to  acknowledge  the  assistance  I  have  re- 
ceived from  the  works  of  Mr.  FitzGerald,  Mr.  Heron-Allen, 
Mr.  Nathan  Haskell  Dole,  and  others,  and  to  express  my 
thanks  to  those  friends  whose  severe  but  kindly  criticism 
has  been  warmly  appreciated. 

GEORGE   ROE. 

SAN  ASTOMO,   TEXAS, 

September,  i,  1906. 


ABBREVIATIONS 

Bod.,  Bodenstedt's  German  Translation ;   Breslau,  A.D.  1889. 

Cad.,  J.  E.  Cadell's  English  Translation ;  John  Lane,  London  and  Ne\v  York, 

1899. 

F.G.,  II,     Second  Edition  of  FitzGerald's  English  Translation  ;  London,  A.D.  1868. 
F.G.,  V,    Fifth  "  ••  "  1890. 

Gar.,  Garner's  American  Translation ;   Philadelphia,  A.D.  1897. 

H.A.,          Heron-Allen's  English  Translation  of  Ouseley  MS.;   London,  1898. 
H.P.,  Von  Hammer-Purgstall's  German  Translation,    "  Geschichte  der  scho- 

nen  Redekiinste  Persiens,"  pages  8o-83 ;  Vienna,  1818. 
McC.,          McCarthy's  English  Translation;    London,  A.D.  1889. 
N.,  French  Translation  of  Nicolas;    Paris,  1867. 

P.,  Pizzi's  Italian    Translation,    "Storia  della  Poesia    Persiana,"   Vol.    I, 

pages  280  286;    Turin,   189^. 

Vill.,  Payne's  Translation,  published  by  the  Villon  Society  ;    London,  1898. 

Von  S.,       Von  Shack's  German  Translation;   Stuttgart,  A.D.  1878. 
W.,  Whinfield's  English  Translation;   London,  A.D.  1888. 

A,  MS.  formerly  in  possession  of  the  Asiatic  Society,  Calcutta ;  now  either 

lost  or  stolen. 

B,  Ouseley  MS.,  in  Bodleian  Library,  Oxford. 

C,  Calcutta  Printed  Edition  of  A.D.  1886. 

D,  India  Office  MS.,  No.  24ao. 

E,  "         »          No.  2486. 

F,  Lucknow  Lithograph. 

G,  Edition  of  Nicolas,  copied  from  Teheran  Lithograph. 
H,  Whinfield's  Persian  Text ;  A.D.  1888. 


AN      ODE      TO      OMAR 


AN     ODE     TO     OMAR 

I 

AVHAYYAM,  old  friend,  although  so  long  asleep 
In  distant  Nishapiir,  where  roses  heap 
Their  petals  o'er  thy  grave,  how  oft  I  hear 
Thy  living  voice  re-echo  o'er  the  deep  ! 


From  Breslau's  gates,  Vienna's  spacious  halls, 
Or  where  Turin  uprears  her  hoary  walls, 
In  deep  Germanic  chaunt,  or  dulcet  lay, 
The  subtle  singer  of  Khorasan  calls. 


Through  Albion's  isle  and  o'er  the  Western  main, 
In  streams  of  lofty  music,  hark  the  strain 
Of  mystic  numbers  sung  by  thee  of  old, 
And  now,  by  other  lips,  oft  sung  again. 

4 

Not  thine  to  scatter  bricks  along  the  sea, 
Not  thine  such  tasks  of  vain  idolatry ; 
Methinks,  e'en  now,  I  hear  thy  living  tongue 
Scathe  shallow  priest  and  canting  Pharisee  :  - 


AN     ODE     TO     OMAR 


"  O  poor  blind  teacher,  who  would  lead  the  blind 
To  things  beyond  the  ken  of  mortal  mind, 
Priest,  mystic,  scholar  —  or  whate'er  you  be  — 
First  seek  the  mystery,  yourself,  — and  find. 

6 

' '  Or  know  you  where  the  end  of  space  may  lie  ? 

Or  where  the  limits  of  eternity  ? 

Or  what  is  space,  or  universe,  or  God? 

Or  why  you  live,  or  wherefore  you  must  die?" 

7 

Alas,  thy  spirit,  fearless  of  the  rage 
And  thoughtless  fury  of  a  bigot  age, 
Like  lesser  spirits,  long  has  passed  away 
To  hidden  scenes  behind  this  mortal  stage. 


For  still  the  same  eternal  law  appears 

That  ruled  creation  through  the  bygone  years, 

That  shaped  the  pathway  of  each  speck  of  dust, 

And  traced  the  courses  of  the  heavenly  spheres. 

[M] 


AN    ODE    TO    OMAR 


9 

Thus  pow'r  and  wisdom  reach  their  lowly  bed, 
And  shah,  like  peasant,  joins  the  countless  dead  ; 
Nor  thinks  of  him  who  mounts  the  empty  throne, 
Nor  heeds  the  feet  that  trample  o'er  his  head. 

10 

And  lo,  the  spot  where  mighty  sultans  sate, 
Yon  lofty  pile  where  Jamshyd  held  his  state, 
Where  nobles  feasted  and  where  beauty  smiled, 
Behold  the  crumbling  wall,  the  fallen  gate ! 

1 1 

Through  yon  dim  corridor  the  vampire*  flits, 
'Neath  yon  bleak  tow'r  the  busy  spider  knits 
Her  crafty  trap,  the  dismal  night-owl  hoots, 
And  o'er  the  wasting  dome  the  vulture  sits ! 

12 

For  death  must  visit,  silent  and  alone, 
The  humble  cot,  the  sultan's  lofty  throne ; 
And  while  we  ponder  what  the  riddle  means, 
The  life  we  ponder  is  already  gone. 

*  The  true  vampire  is  found  only  in  South  America,  but  the  bats  that  infest 
the  cave-temples  and  ancient  ruins  of  India  are  generally  known  as  vampires  to 
Anglo-Indians. 


AN    ODE    TO    OMAR 


i3 

And  so  Khayyam,  old  friend,  thou  couldst  not  stay; 
And  ah,  how  often  have  I  heard  thee  say  — 
"  Not  one  -returns  to  count  the  journey  o'er; 
The  flovv'r  that  dies  is  ever  passed  away  !  " 


I  '11  strive  not,  then,  the  mystery  to  sift  — 
Fast  roll  the  years,  the  sands  of  life  run  swift  — 
But  quaff  the  bowl,  hail  beauty  with  a  kiss, 
And  leave  the  veil  for  coming  death  to  lift. 

i5 

And  yet,  perchance,  —  what  mortal  thing  can  say,  — 
That  wondrous  soul  that  lived  within  thy  clay 
And  gave  it  pow'r  to  think  and  feel  and  love, 
Hath  vanquished  death  and  triumphed  o  er  decay. 

16 

And  as,  at  night,  when  darkness  first  descends, 
When  evening's  veil  o'er  all  the  earth  extends, 
The  vanished  stars  again  bedeck  the  sky, 
And  shimm'ring  light  from  Heaven's  vault  depends  ; 


Or  when,  near  dawn,  behind  the  pearly  gray 
And  rosy  streaks  that  herald  coming  day, 
The  sun  returns,  in  crimson  glory  clad, 
So  shall  thy  soul  return, — perchance  it  may. 

18 

Perchance  to  Nature's  fount  fled  back  thy  soul, 
Where  seas  of  love,  in  endless  billows,  roll;  *- 
Perchance  within  the  Source  of  Life  'twas  merged, 
And  lost  again  amidst  the  Mighty  Whole. 

.      '9 
A  cup  awaits  us  at  the  river's  brink, 

Where  souls  are  freed  from  Earth's  enslaving  link ; 
And  when  the  radiant  angel,  kindly  Death, 
Invites  our  souls,  we  shall  not  fear  to  drink. 

20 

But  swift  as  rain-drops  to  the  ocean  fall, 
We  soon  shall  join  thee  at  the  angel's  call, 
And  thou  and  we  shall  all  be  merged  in  God,— 
The  Source,  the  Stay,  the  final  End  of  All. 

*Compare  Haflz :  — 

The  ocean  of  divine  love  is  boundless; 
We  have  no  remedv  but  to  \ield  up  our  souls. 
[25] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR     KHAYYA'M 


RUBAIYAT  OF  OMAR  KHAYYAM 


Bod.,  IX,  28 
Gar.,  VI,  a 
McG.,  1 46 
N.,255 
Vill.,5i5 
W.,  295 


Bod.,X,i 
Gar.,  I,  i 
McC.,4i9 
N.,  4a6 
VilL.Sig 
Von  S.,  aa4 
W.,463 


F.G..V.I 
Gar.,  I,  a 
Vill.,a4a 
W.,a33 


Lo,  dawn  is  rending  night's  dark  veil 

in  twain  ; 
Arise  !    Arise  !   and  morning's  goblet 

drain ; 
Drive  grief  away,  for  many  a  rosy 

morn  * 

Will  seek  us  here,  and  seek  us  long 

in  vain. 


And  know  ye  why  the  herald  of  the 

day,* 
With   clarion  voice,    peals   forth   his 

morning  lay? 
"Behold,"  he  cries,   "the  mirror  of 

the  dawn  ; 
A  precious   night  again   has  slipped 

away  !  " 


Now   wrakes    Khurshyd  f    on   yonder 

flaming  height, 
And   o'er   the  city   flings   a  robe  of 

light ; 


A,  G,  D,  E, 
F.G.H 


A,C,  D,  E, 
V,  G,  H 


A.C.D,  E, 
F,  H 


(khurus-i-sahar),  the  morning  cock 

3 
(khurshyd),  the  sun. 


RUBA'IYAT  OF  OMAR  KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  IX,  34 
F.G.,V,  2 
Gar.,  I,  a5 
McC.,  188 

N.,  i 
P.,  i 
Vill.,  i 
Von.  S.,  i3g 
W.,  i 


Kai-Khosru-like*  he  fills  the  bowl  of 

morn 
With    golden   winef   to   pledge   the 

parting  night. 


But    ere    the   sun  arose  in   flashing 

pride, 
Or  Phantom  Dawn  J  peeped  through 

the  mountain  side, 
"Come   fill   our  cups  ere  Fate  our 

cups  shall  fill  !  " 
A  lusty  voice   from  out  the  tavern 

cried. 


A,C,  D,  E, 
F,G,H 


*  Kai-Khosru,  the  greatest  monarch  of  the  Sassanian  dynasty,  was  noted  for 
his  lavish  generosity.  Omar  more  probably,  however,  refers  to  the  mythical  king 
of  the  Shah  Namah,  who  is  often  identified  with  the  Cyrus  of  the  Greeks. 

f  The  Calcutta  MS.  reads  *^i  (muhrah),  a  stone,  instead  of  Vii^  (badah), 
wine,  as  appears  in  other  MSS.,  and  evidently  inspired  the  opening  quatrain  of 
Mr.  FitzGerald's  first  edition,  —  a  stanza  much  closer  to  Omar  than  the  later 
variations,  but  which  was  believed  by  Mr.  Aldis  Wright  to  have  been  entirely 
original.  Where  the  word  muhrah  is  used,  the  meaning  is  that  the  sun  casts 
a  stone  in  the  cup,  but  where  badah  is  used,  the  meaning  is  that  the  sun  pours 
wine  in  the  cup.  Throwing  a  stone  in  a  cup  is,  of  course,  a  signal  among  the  wan- 
dering Arabs  for  breaking  camp  and  starling  upon  a  new  journey. 


J  The  Phantom  Dawn,  or  Subhi  Kazim,  is  here  introduced  for  the  sake  of 
local  colour,  although  it  is  not  found  in  the  text  of  the  quatrain.  In  Persia  there 
are  two  dawns,  —  the  Subhi  Kazim,  or  False  Dawn,  and  the  Subhi  Sadik,  or  True 
Dawn.  The  False  Dawn,  which  has  all  the  appearance  of  daybreak,  lakes  place 
about  two  hours  before  the  True  Dawn,  and  is  quickly  followed  by  intense  dark- 
ness. The  Persians  have  for  this  phenomenon  a  fanciful  explanation.  They  say 
that  as  the  sun  rises  it  shines  through  a  hole  in  Mount  Kaf  and  causes  the 
appearance  of  daybreak.  As  it  continues  to  ascend,  the  earth  is  again  plunged 

r.3oi 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  I,  17 
Gad.,  108 
F.G.,V,77 
H.A.,3 

McC.,87 

IV.,  223 

Vill.,465 

Yon  S.,  17 

W.,262 


And  better  far,  with  Thee,  in  taverns 

learn, 
Than  in  the  temple  from  Thy  visage 

turn.* 
Oh,   First   and  Last   of  all   creation 

Thou,t 
Whate'er  Thou  wilt,  or  cherish  me 

or  burn. 


A,  B,C,D, 
E,F,G,H 


into  darkness  until  the  sun  reaches  the  crest  of  the  mountain  and  brings  with 
it  the  True  Dawn,  or  Subhi  Sadik. 
Compare  Milton:  — 

"  Ere  the  babbling  Eastern  scout, 
The  nice  morn  on  lh'  Indian  steep, 
From  the  cabin'd  loop-hole  peep." 

Vide  page  107,  Waring's  "Tour  to  Sheeraz,"  London,  1807. 
The  ancient  Persians  believed  that  the  earth  was  flat  and  encircled  by  Mount 
Kaf;  thus  Rumi  writes  of  the  "world-encircling  Kaf." 

5 

*  i.e.,  "Repeat  the  nemaz  at  the  mihrab  without  Thee." 

The  nemaz  are  prayers  which  Muhammadans  are  enjoined  to  repeat  five  times 
daily. 

The  mihrab  is  a  praying-niche  in  a  mosque,  showing  the  direction  of  Mecca, 
toward  which  the  worshipper  turns. 

f  J&3  ,  jjl  (Awwal  u  Akhar).  Compare  Revelation  XXII,  i3:  "I  am  Alpha 
and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end,  the  first  and  the  last." 

Arabic  words  like  J^V  and  _^s.f  were  introduced  into  Persia  by  the  Moslem 
conquerors,  as  words  of  Latin  origin  were  introduced  into  England  by  the  Aor- 
mans.  There  is  this  great  difference,  however,  —  the  English  have  assimilated 
the  Latin  and  made  it  a  part  of  their  own  language,  while  Arabic  words  and 
phrases  introduced  into  Persia  have  not  only  largely  retained  their  own  forms, 
but  have,  by  force  of  example,  given  Arabic  inflections  to  many  Persian  words. 
Thus  ruba'i  becomes  in  the  plural  ruba'iyat,  and  navishlah  becomes  navishtajat, 
instead  of  retaining  the  Persian  plural  in  ha.  Latin  words  used  in  English. 
however,  generally  take  the  English  inflection,  while  even  those  words  which 
still  retain  the  Latin  termination  often  admit  also  of  the  English  form. 

f   3!    1 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Cad. ,6  Elate  1  stand  beside  the  fallen  door,*       A, B,C, D, 

(jar. ,1,0  Mv  raimfint.  nawnprl  :   hpnrh    smil    anrl         ei,rt\i,n 

H.A.,7 

McC.,45 
N.,  19 
Vill.,28 
VonS.,4i 
W.,aa 


6 

Elate  I  stand  beside  the  fallen  door,* 
My  raiment  paAvned  ;  heart,  soul,  and 

cup  paid  o  er  ;  f 
And,  flushed  with  wine,  I  know  nor 

hope  nor  fear  ; 
O'er  fire  and  Avater,  earth  and  air  I 


soar. 


But  lo,   without,  the  year  is  young 

and  fair,* 
And  yearning  hearts  to  stilly  meads 

repair  ; 


Bod., VI,  2        But  lo,   without,  the  year  is  young       B,  H 

Cad.,4o 
F.G.,  V,4 
Gar.,  II,  i 
H.A.,i3 
Vill.,454 
W.,n6 

Sir  William  Jones  admirably  illustrates  the  difference  between  the  unassimi- 
lated  Arabic  of  the  Persian  and  the  assimilated  Latin  of  the  English,  by  quoting 
a  passage  from  Middleton's  Life  of  Cicero  and  rewriting  the  passage  with  many 
of  the  words  in  their  unmodified  Latin  form  after  the  manner  of  Arabic  words 
used  in  Persia.  The  quotation  illustrating  the  English  structure  reads: 

"The  true  law  is  right  reason  conformable  to  the  nature  of  things,  which 
calls  us  to  duty  by  commanding,  deters  us  from  sin  by  forbidding." 

The  Persian  method  is  shewn  thus :  — 

"The  true  lex  is  recta  ratio  conformable  naturae,  which  by  commanding  vocet 
ad  officium,  by  forbidding  a  fraude  deterreat." 

6 

*  ^l^>  £±  (kunj-i-kharab)  is,  literally,  a  corner  of  desolation.  The  Per- 
sian taverns  were  generally  situated  in  desolate  corners  or  in  the  ruins  upon  the 
outskirts  of  a  town. 

•)•  Note  the  resemblance  of  the  words  ^l--^  (Jan),  the  soul ;  ft  (jam),  a  cup; 
and  «-.Li.  (jama),  a  garment;  all  of  which  occur  in  the  same  line. 


hence,   Spring. 


(bakhushi    dastrasi)    is,    literally,    a    means  of   happiness; 

F3a  1 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Cad.,  86 
H.A.,8o 
McC.,  91 

N.,i86 
Vill.,  276 

W.,201 


The  hand  of  Musa   shines  on  ev'ry 

bough,  f 
The    breath    of   'Jsa    rises    on    the 


ar. 


8 
For  now  't  is  Spring,  when  verdure 

clothes  the  land, 
And  flow'rs  gleam  white  as    Musa's 

snowy  hand  ; 
The  breath  of  'Isa  wakes  the  sleeping 

earth, 
And  kindly  rains  refresh  the  thirsty 

sand.* 


A.B.C.D, 
F,  G,  II 


f  The  Persians  hold  that  when  Moses  withdrew  his  hand  from  his  hosom,  as 
described  in  Exodus  IV,  6,  it  was  not  "  leprous  as  snow,"  but  that  it  shone  with 
a  beautiful  whiteness. 

J  The  Muhammadans  believe  that  the  breath  of  'Isa  (Jesus)  has  the  power  of 
raising  the  dead. 

8 

*  Lit.,  In  the  hope  of  rain,  the  eyes  (of  the  earth)  open. 

Note  the  play  upon  the  words  f^>  (chashm)  hope,  and  ^«  ••>•->  (chashmha) 
eyes. 

Nicolas,  however,  reads  if  «Aj  «^  (dida)  as  a  synonym  for  ^T*^  ' 
This  stanza  has  been  rendered  into  quaint  Latin  by  FitzGerald  :  — 

"Tempus  est  quo  Orientis 
Aura  mundus  renovalur, 
Quo  de  fonte  pluviali 
Dulcis  Imber  reservatur; 
Musi-Manus  undecumque 
Ramos  insuper  splendescit ; 
Jesu-spiritusque  Salutaris 
Terram  pervagatur." 
l  [331 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Cad.,  87 

H.A.,82 

Vill.,275 

W.,  210 


Bod.,  VIII,  28 

Cad.,  60 

F.G.,V,6 

H.A.,67 

N.,i53 

Vill.,294 

VonS.,284 

W.,i74 


9 

The  morning  dews  bedeck  the  tulip's 
face, 

The  violets  bend  their  heads  with 
timid  grace, 

And  fairer  still,  the  rosebud's  pet- 
all' d  veil 

Shields  blushing  cheek  from  Zeph- 
yr's soft  embrace. 

10 
Nor  warm,  nor  cold,  the  day  dawns 

bright  and  fair, 
The  rain-kissed  flow'rs  perfume  the 

morning  air  ; 
And  hark  !   in  Pahlavi  *  the  bulbul  f 

trills  - 
"Come,  drooping  t  rose,  this  dewy 

vintage  share." 


B,  F,  H 


B,  F,  G,  H 


10 

*  Pahlavi  was  the  language  of  the  ancient  Persians,  in  which,  it  was  said,  the 
nightingale  continued  to  sing.  Mr.  FitzGcrald  calls  it  "the  old  heroic  Sanscrit," 
but  it  is,  in  reality,  the  name  applied  to  the  ancient  Zoroastrian  writings.  Very 
many  of  its  words  were  written  in  a  form  that  gave  no  clue  to  their  pronunciation, 
Persian  words  being  represented  by  Semitic  equivalents  and  these  equivalents 
being  pronounced  and  inflected  like  Persian,  as  when  we  write  for  the  English 
word  pound  the  Latin  word  libra,  contracted  into  lb.,  but  give  it  the  English 
pronunciation  pound  and  the  English  inflection  by  writing  the  plural  /6s. 

Perhaps  it  was  partly  because  Firdusi  drew  the  themes  of  his  great  poem  "The 
Shah  Namah"  from  the  ancient  Pahlavi  records,  that  his  countrymen  attributed 
so  sweet  a  melody  to  this  old  Persian  tongue. 

f  Bulbul,  the  nightingale. 

J    $j^  (zard)  =  yellow,  sallow,  pallid  ;  —  hence,  sickly,  drooping. 

[341 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


McC.,4 

Vill.,6o8 

W.,35a 


Cad.,5i 
F.G.,V,  19 
Gar.,  IV,  6 
H.A.,43 
H.P.,i6 
Vill.,  109 
Von  S.,  101 
W.,io4 


II 

Then  sings  the  rose,  "As  Yusuf's  * 
flower  I  reign  ; 

Come  touch  my  lips  and  jewelled 
kisses  gain." 

"Oh,  lovely  flow'r,  then  where  is 
Yusuf  s  sign  ?" 

"  Behold,  my  silken  robe  with  blood- 
red  stain." 

13 

O'er  beauty's  grave  the  gentle  zephyr 

blows, 
From  beauty's  cheek  the  blue-eyed 

violet  grows  ; 
And  see,  where  royal  crimson  stained 

the  sod, 
The  flaming  tulip  blossoms  near  the 

rose.* 


F,  H 


A,B,F,H 

Whinfield 
does  not 
give  A 


*  Yusuf  (Joseph)  has  been  called  the  Adonis  of  the  Persians.     He  was  consid- 
ered the  type  of  manly  beauty. 

13 

*    "Everywhere  that  a  rose  and  a  tulip  bed  hath  been, 
From  the  crimson  blood  of  a  king  hath  it  been ; 
Every  violet  that  grows  from  the  earth 
Is  a  mole  that  upon  the  cheek  of  a  beauty  hath  been." 

This  stanza  has  been  rendered  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  thus :  — 

"Each  spot  where  tulips  prank  their  state 
Has  drunk  the  life-blood  of  the  great ; 
The  violets  yon  field  which  stain 
Are  moles  of  beauties,  Time  hath  slain." 
[351 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Cad.,  47 
H.A.,32 


Bod. ,11,  19 

McC.,267 

N.,i6g 

Vill.,3oo 
Von  S.,  97 
Compare 
Cad. ,48 
F.G.,V,  i3 

and  62 
H.A.,34 

H.P.,22 

W.,  94  and 

1 08 


i3 
When    Springtime  *    Avafts   her   per- 

fumes o'er  the  lea, 
By  river's  brink,  with  playmates  fond 

and  free,f 
I  pledge  my  love  in  morning's  joyful 

bowl, 
And  what   is  mosque  or  synagogue 

to  me  1 


Some  talk  of  Heav'n,  where  streams 

like  Kusar  *  flow, 
And  houris  dwell,,  and  golden  vine- 

yards grow  ; 
But  fill  my  cup  and  give  me  beauty 

here, 
Ah,    give    them    now,    and    let    the 


promise  go 


B,F 


A,G 


i3 


*   jijrfxi  (Fasl-i-gul)  —  In  time  of  roses;  hence,  Springtime. 

f  Lit.,  With  one,  two,  three  young  playmates  like  houris.     (Lucknow  Litho.) 


*  The  Kusar  is  a  stream  in  Paradise.     Vide  Koran,  chapter  entitled   "The 
Kusar."     Compare  Hafiz  :  — 


To-morrow  the  waters  of  the  Kusar  and  a  houri  await  me; 
And  to-day  I  enjoy  a  beautiful  mistress  and  a  cup  of  wine." 
[361 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,X,i6 
F.G.,V,ia 
Gar.  ,1,8 
H.A.,i4g 
McC.,  44g 
N.,4i3 
Yill.,829 
YonS.,  ia5 
W.,452 


Bod  ,  IX,  8J 

Cad.,  i35 

F.G.,V,4i 

H.A.,n8 

McG.,a83 

N.,2g4 

P., 47 

Vill.,6n 

Von  S.,  87 

W.,33a 


15 
A   book  *    of  verses  underneath  the 

vine, 

A  loaf  of  bread,  a  jug  of  ruby  wine, 
And  thou   beside  me,   resting  in  the 

wild, 
Would  make   the   dreary  wilderness 

divine  I  f 

16 
See,   morning  dawns ;    the  rosy  cup 

retain, 
And    smash    the    crystal     of    repute 

again ; 
Thy  lute  is  sweet,  thy  tresses  soft  as 

down,  — 

Ah,  Heav'n  is  here,  and  future  glory 
vain.* 


B,  G,  H 


B,  F,  G,  H 


i5 

•  *    W>A^,  a  diwan,  is  a  collection  of  stanzas  arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  the 
position  of  each  being  determined  by  the  final  letter  of  its  rhyme-word. 


Lit.,  Is  pleasanter  than  the  realm  of  a  sultan. 


iG 
jV,  :>>  j\^ 


*  The  lines 


signify  :  — 

Let  us  renounce  our  hopes  of  Paradise, 

And  toy  with  long,  curling  tresses  and  the  fringe  of  the  lute. 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Gad.,  43 
H.A.,i7 


Compare 
F.G..V,  21 


Cad.,  52 
F.G.,V,8 
Gar.,  1, 17 

H.A.,47 
McC.,  1 48 
N.,io5 
Vill.,236and 

287 

VonS.,  201 
W.,i34 


Sweet  is  the  breeze  that  gently  fans 

the  rose ; 
Sweet,    in  the   shade,   to  watch   thy 

face  repose  : 
Oh,  tell  me  not  that  yesterday  was 

sweet ! 
To-day  is  sweet!       To-morrow — ah, 

who  knows  ?  * 

18 
Whether  at  Balkh  or  Babylon,*  we 

die;  f 
Or  sweet  or  bitter,  soon  the  cup  runs 

dry; 
Gome  drink,    my   love,   for  many  a 

silver  moon 
Will  Avax  again  and  wane,  where  er 

we  lie. 


A,  B,  C,D, 
E,F,  H 


A,  B,  C,  D, 
E,  F,  G,  H 


17 

"To-morrow — ah,  who  knows?"  is  an  interpolation  of  the  translator,  which 
he  believes  other  passages  will  justify.     Vide  quatrains  12  and  126,  Ouseley  MS. 
The  best  translation  of  this  quatrain  that  has  yet  been  made  is  probably  the 
following,  which  was  written  for  the  Omar  Khayyam  Club  of  America  by  Mr. 
N.  H.  Dole:- 

"The  breath  of  the  early  spring  in  the  face  of  the  Rose  is  sweet; 
The  face  of  my  Love  in  the  shade  of  the  garden-close  is  sweet; 
Naught  thou  canst  say  of  the  day  that  has  faded  away  is  sweet ; 
Be  happy  ;  speak  not  of  the  past,  for  to-day  as  it  glows  is  sweet !  " 

18 

*  Nicolas  and  Whinfield  read  Nishapur,  and  the  Ouseley  MS.,  Baghdad. 
Babylon  is  here  substituted  for  the  sake  of  euphony,  and  because  it  is  often  used 
as  a  synonym  for  Baghdad  in  Oriental  poetry. 

f  The  Ouseley  MS.  reads  &j^>   cr-*5*  -J*&  CJ>^  "since  life  passes";  but 

f"  38  1 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KlIAYYA'M 


Cad.,  55 
H.A.,5a 
McC.,  a  12 

i\  . ,  I  I  2 

Vill.,357 


Bocl.,IX,/,9 
Cad.,  it) 
Gar., Mil, <> 
II.  A.,  27 
McC.,  67 
IN. ,48 
P.,  II 
Vill.,ig6 
Von  S.,  i3o 
W.,5i 


'9 

And  love's  bright  path  is  hut  the  road         A,  B,  ¥,  G 
to  naught, 

Where   Fate's   rude  talons  have    de- 
struction wrought; 

Oh  lovely  saki,t  water  ere  I  die, 

And  tli is  poor  dust  again  to  dust  he 
brought! 


20 

I    lay    upon    iny  couch    in    slumber       A,  B.C,  I). 

E,  F,  G,  11 
deep,* 

And    Wisdom     cried     aloud,     "Oh, 

wherefore  sleep? 
For  sleep  is  kin  to  death ;  drink 

while  you  may ; 
Eternal  slumber  hastens  o'er  the 

steep !  " 


Whinfield's  text  has  a  more  beautiful  phrase,  x.T 
comes  to  the  lips." 


1  Since  the  soul 


*  The  spiritual  meaning  of  the  first  two  lines  is.  that  the  path  of  dhine  love 
leads  to  the  annihilation  of  the  individual  soul  ;  that  we  shall  be  destroyed  in  the 
talons  of  doom  (  ,3^1  ),  when  the  existence  of  the  individual  is  merged  in  the 
divine  fountain  of  universal  life.  Vide  Introduction. 

•(•  Saki,  cup-bearer. 


*  The  second  line,  which  is  omitted  in  the  translation,  is  lilerally  :  — 
"Never  from  sleep  has  the  rose  of  joy  bloomed  for  any  one." 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,V,  i 
Gad.,  1 1 
F.G.,V,7i 
Gar.,  VII,  i 
H.A.,3i 
McC.,86 
N.,3i 
Vill.,  191 
W.,35 


Bod.,V,8 

Cad. ,32 

F.G.,V,7a 

Gar.,  VII,  3 

H.A.,4i 

McG.,3g 

N.,95 

ViH.,79 
Von  S.,  83 
W.,96 


Bod.,  V.  38 
F.G..V,  10 
McC.,39o 
N.,4i6 
Vill.,  798 
W.,455 


All  fearless,  then,  Avhile  mortal  frame 

shall  be, 
Stand    firm     within    the    bounds    of 

destiny ; 


A,  B,  C,  D, 
E.F.G.H 


21 
Ere  yet  the  dawn  of  Azal*  shed  its 

liglit 
O'er  dreary  chaos  and  the  realms  of 

night, 
The  Pen,  unmoved  by  good  and  evil, 

wrote ; 
Nor  grief  can  change,  nor  endless  toil 

rewrite. 

22 

And    ev'ry   sorrow,   all   our    passing       A,  B,  C,D, 
mirth,  E.FG.H 

.  .       t  W.  does  not 

Was  long  predestined,  ere  creation  s  give  B 

birth ; 

But  blame  not  Heav'n,  for  all  is  fore- 
ordained, 

And  Heav'n  more  helpless  than  the 
helpless  earth. 

23 


A.  C,  D,  E, 
F,  G,  H 


*  Jjt  (Azal)  signifies  "eternity  without  beginning."  Whinfield  and  ISicolas, 
however,  read  _r.AjLr_J\i|  (Andar  takdir)  "in  destiny,"  for  i^Jv*  (Dar  ruz-i-Azal) 
"on  the  dav  of  eternity  without  beginning,"  as  appears  in  the  Ouseley  MS. 

The  opposite  of  Azal  (JJ)  is  Abad  ( j.| ),  which  signifies   "eternity  without 


end." 


I  4o 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Cad.,  89 
Gar.,  VII,  5 
H.A.,54 
Compare 
F.G.,V,7i 


Bod.,  VII,  4 
Cad.,3o 
F.G.,V,i3 
Gar.,  XII,  5 
H.A.,4o 


Yield  naught  to  foe,  though  Rustam, 

son  of  Zal,* 
iSor  take  from  friend,  though  Hatim 

Tai  f  were  he. 


For  what  is  written,  be  it  long  or 
brief, 

Remains  the  same,  nor  tears  can  give 
relief; 

No  drop  of  destiny  is  less  nor  more, 

Though  naught  you  know  but  life- 
long pain  and  grief. 

a5 
I  know  not  what  the  Lord  hath  made 

my  share, 
The  joy  of  Heav'n  —  the  Hell  of  deep 

despair ;  * 


A,  B,C,  D. 
K.  G,  H 


23 

*  Zal,  a  hero  who  lived  in  the  reign  of  kai  Kawus. 

Rustam,  a  mighty  warrior  who,  with  his  famous  horse,  Rukhsh,  rescuer!  Kai 
Kawus  from  a  fortress-prison  guarded  by  a  hundred  demons.  The  exploits  of  Zal 
and  Rustam  are  sung  by  Firdu-i  in  his  great  historical  poem,  the  Shah  >amah. 

|  Hatim  Tai,  a  generous  Arab  prince. 

a5 

*  Nicolas     reads     •-***  •^Afa  >'  •*•»     (bud     ahl     bihisht     khub)     instead     of 
v^iS  ..-  ijfc  >1  -,{  (az  ahl  bihisht  guft)  as  appears  in  the  Ouseley  MS.,  and  this 

changes  the  meaning  from  "I  know  not  whether  He  who  moulded  me,  destined 
me  to  dwell  in  Heaven  or  horrible  Hell,"  to  "I  know  not  whether  He  who 
moulded  me  was  a  dweller  in  Heaven  or  horrible  Hell." 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KIIAYYA'M 


McC.,3i4         But  wine    and    beauty  fill  me  with 

delight, 

And  Earth  is  here,  and  Paradise  is 
-  where  ?  I" 

26 
The  secret 's  hidden  from  the  mortal 

eye, 

Nor  living  soul  can  read  the  mystery; 
Save  in  the  heart  of  earth,  we  have 

no  rest ; 
So  fill  the  bowl,  'twill  soon  be  time 

to  die.* 

27 

How  long  shall  I  throw  bricks  upon 

the  sea?* 

I  scorn  such  tricks  of  vain  idolatry ! 
Say  not  Khayyam  is  surely  doomed 

to  Hell. 
Who  knows  of  Hell,  or  Heav'n,  or  if 

they  be?f 


N.,ga 
P.,  19 
Vill.,8g 
VonS.,245 
W.,04 

Bod.,  IV,  i 
Cad.,  1 4 
H.A.,29 

McC.,19 

N.,44 
Yill.,6o 

Von  S.,  no 

W.,4? 


Cad.,  45 
H.A.,i8 
Yill.,2o8 


A,  B,  C,  D, 
E.F.G.H 


A,  B.C,D, 
E,F,H 


t  This  line  is  a  paraphrase  for  "These  are  cash  to  me;   let  thine  be  the  credit, 

Heaven." 

aG 

*  Lit.  Drink  wine,  for  such  fables  are  not  short. 


*  i.  e.  "How  long  shall  I  perform  empty  ceremonies?"     H.  A. 

f  Heron-Allen  reads :  «~4< ;  ^^,  &,*,  ^  *j  "Who  ever 'went  to  Hell,  and 
who  ever  came  from  Heaven?" 

Whinfield,  however,  reads:  «^~^ •  *-"  >^  ** •>  &•>**  ^->  u  "One  while  in 
Heaven,  and  one  in  Hell  is  he." 

[4s] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  IV,  8 

F.G.,\,56 

McG.,276 

N.,i65 

Vill.,  2g5 

Von  S.,  270 

W.,i83 


Cad.,n4 

H.A.,102 

H.P.,ii 

McG.,85 

N.,a4a 

Vill.,493 

Von  S.,  io5 

W.,28a 


Bod.,  IV,  9 
Cad.,  65 
H.A.,72 
McG.,266 


28 
And  oh,  how  long  engrossed  in  self 

remain  ? 
How  long  o'er  futile  problems*  strive 

in  vain  ? 
The  path  of  life  but  leads  thee  to  the 

grave ; 
So  drink  and  dream,  and  dream  and 

drink  again. 

29 
And  when  thou  hast  some  ruby  wine, 

rejoice  ; 
Or   canst  in   beauty's   arms   recline, 

rejoice ; 
Since  all  that  is,  must  surely  end  in 

naught, 
Think  thou  art  naught  while  life  is 

thine,  rejoice. 

3o 

No  mind  has  solved  the  tangled  mys- 
tery, 
Nor  passed  the  orbit  *  of  eternity ;  f 


28 


A,C,D,  E, 
F,  G,  H 


A.  B.C.D, 
E,F,G,II 


A,C,D,E, 
F,G,H 


*  The  problems  of  existence  and  non-existence. 

3o 

*  »y.b  (dairah)  =  orbit. 

Whinfield  reads  jljj  (nihad)  nature,  meaning  that  no  one  has  set  foot  beyond 
the  bounds  of  his  own  nature. 

f  Inline  Aii  \}j\  j\j»\  Jii.  jJ ,  note  the  accusative  termination  \>  affixed  to 
the  genitive  case  of  the  word  l);\  (azal-ra). 

[43] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


N.,i75 
\ill.,356 
Von  S.,  289 
W.,  190 


Bod.,  IX,  100 

Gar.,XII,3 

McC.,329 

N.,43o 

Vill.,835 

W.,465 


Bod.,X,  29 

Gar.,  1, 35 

McC.,3i5 

N.,455 

Vill.,764 

Von  S.,  a46 

W.,484 


'Tis  daAvn,  oh  friend  of  joyful  foot, 
draw  nigh; 

Fill  high  the  bowl,  salute  the  rosy 
sky. 

From  Tyr  to  Dai  *  the  months  re- 
morseless roll 

And  drag  to  death  e'en  mighty  Jam  f 
and 


The  teacher  and  the  tyro   both  are 
blind, 

And  grope  amid  the  darkness  help- 
lessly. 

3i 

But  though  you  reach  Aristo's  lofty  j     G,  H 
plane,* 

Or  o'er  imperial  Rome,  like  Caesar, 
reign, 

Drain  Jamshyd's  cup,  your  end  must 
be  the  grave 

Though  Bahram's  self;   dust  turns  to 
dust  again. 

82 


A,C,D,F, 
G,H 


3i 

*  In  the  text,  Jamhur  is  coupled  with  Aristo  as  an  example  of  wisdom  ;   and 
Faghfur,  emperor  of  China,  with  Caesar,  as  an  example  of  power. 

t  Compare  Firdusi's  line,  tr»->  j>**-»  »j  f*l>sv;  _,-<x*J  «j,  in  which  Faghfur  and 
Caesar  are  similarly  coupled. 

3a 

*  From  Tyr  to  Dai  =  From  April  to  December, 

f  Jam,  or  Jamshyd,  said  to  have  been  the  founder  of  Persepolis. 
J  Kai,  or  Kai  Khosru,  generally  identified  with  Cvrus. 

[441 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYVA'M 


Bod.,IX,57 

McC.,i49 

N.,68 

Vill.,20i 

W.,7i 


Bod.,  VIII  ,5o 

McC.,377 

N.,334 

Vill.,666 

YonS.,  124 

Compare 

W.,278 


Bod.,  IX,  62 

Cad. ,26 

F.G.,V,74 

Gar., XIII,  1 2 

H.A.,26 

McC.,i8o 

N.,85 

Vill.,i88 

VonS.,  20-7 

W.,87 


33 
When  flow'rs  of  joy  with  sparkling 

petals  shine, 
Why  shun  the  crystal  cup  of  ruby 

wine  ? 
Time   knows  no  mercy,*  drink,   ere 

yet  too  late  ; 
A  day  like  this  may  ne'er  again  be 

thine. 

34 
And  why  lament  what  cannot  come 

again  ? 
Why  think  of  morrow,    when   such 

thoughts  are  vain  P 
Seize  fast  to-day,  ere  all  its  joys  go  by 
As  summer  breezes  vanish  o'er  the 

plain. 

35 

Soon  shall  you  bid  farewell  to  mortal 

tie  ; 
Soon    shall    you    read   life's   deepest 

mystery. 
Drink,  for  you  know  not  when  you 

go,  nor  where  ; 
Drink,  for  you  know  not  whence  you 

came,  nor  why.* 


*  Lit.  Time  is  a  treacherous  foe. 


33 


35 


A,C,D,E, 


A.B.C.D, 


*  I  am  indebted  for  the  last  two  lines  to  Mr.  FitzGerald,  who  has  combined 
this  quatrain  with  ISo.  162  of  the  Ouseley  MS. 

[451 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,V,  18 
F.G.,V,27 
Gar., XII,  i 
McC.,4o 

N.,  226 
Vill.,467 
VonS.,i43 
W.,264 


Cad.,  i4i 
F.G..V,  28 
Gar., XII,  1 3 
H.A..I2I 

Vill.,  584 

VonS.,i83 

W.,353 


H.A.  167 

McC.,3i7 

N.,45o 

Vill.,785 

Von  S.,  33 

W.,49o 


36 

When,  like  a  hawk,  to  dizzy  heights 

I  soar, 
And   fain   would   read  and    con   the 

myst'ries  o'er, 
No  guide  I  find  and  back  to  Earth  I 

fall, 
And  leave  and  enter  by  the  self-same 

door. 


3? 

And  oft,  when  young,  from  teachers 
I  designed 

To  fill  with  \visdom's  lore  my  youth- 
ful mind  ; 

But  lo,  the  end  of  all  their  lofty 
themes  :  - 

We  came  like  water  *  and  depart  like 
wind. 


38 

Unwilling,  helpless,  hurried  through 

life's  door, 
And,    helpless,    whither,    when    the 

dream  is  o'er  ? 


A,C,D,E, 
F,G,H 


B,F,H 


A.B.C.D, 
E,F,G,H 


37 

*  Whinfield  reads    w*3\j>.    $\  (az   khak),   from  earth,  instead   of 
(chun  ab),  like  water,  as  appears  in  the  Ouseley  MS. 

[46] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,V,43 

McG.,54 

N.,25 

Vill.,98 

Von  S.,  28 

W.,29 


Bod.,V,33 
F.G.,V,44 
Gar.,XIII,n 
H.A.,i45 

McC.,45g 
N.,394 
Vill.,759 
Von  S.,  10 
W.,436 


Ah,   better  far  to  Earth  I  ne'er  had 

come 
Than  come,  live,  go,  —  and  taste  of 

life  no  more  !  * 


Then  oh,  my  soul,  why  on  this  dust 

bestow 
The  wretched  boon  of  life,  the  pain, 

the  woe 
And    all    the    passions    that    possess 

mankind, 
To  leave  it  dust  again  whene'er  you 

go? 

4o 

This  spirit,  freed  from  mortal  bonds, 

could  soar 
Back  through  the  realms  of  space  to 

Heaven's  door  ; 
Its  proper  home  lies  o'er  the  azure 

sky, 
And  shame  it  was  to  touch  this  earthly 

shore. 


38 

*  Compare  Milton,  Paradise  Lost,  Book  XI,  lines  502-607:  — 
"  Better  end  here  unborn.     Why  is  life  given 
To  be  wrested  from  us?     Rather  why 
Obtruded  on  us  thus?     Who,  if  we  knew 
What  we  receive,  would  either  not  accept 
Life  offer'd,  or  soon  beg  to  lay  it  down, 
Glad  to  be  so  dismissed  in  peace?  " 


A,C,D,E, 
F,G,H 


A,B,C,D, 
F,G,H 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  1, 3 1 

Cad.,  43 

F.G..V.66 

H.A.,i5 

Vill.,58 

Von  S.,335 

W.,n4 


Bod. ,111,  io 

Cad. ,28 

F.G.,Y,67 

Gar.,X,6 

H.A.,33 

McC.,98 

IS'.,  90 

YonS.,  269 
W.,92 


high 


oer 


4i 

When  life   first  dawned  * 

this  mortal  cell,f 
Long  sought  my  soul  where  Pen  and 

Tablet  J  dwell, 
Sought  Hell  and  Heav'n,  and  heard 

the  Master  say  - 
cs  Behold,  within  thyself,  the  heav'n 

and  hell  !  "§ 

4a 

Heav'n  is  the  tranquil  j  oy  of  in  ward  res  t  , 
And  Hell,  the  anguish  of  a  soul  dis- 

tress'd  ; 

The  azure  sky  is  but  the  robe  we  wear. 
And    Jihun's  *    flood,    the    tears    of 

hearts  oppress'd. 


B,F,H 


A,B,C,D, 
E.F.G.H 


4i 


j  (ruz-i-nukhust)  is  literally  "on  the  day  of  the  beginning." 
->  .**•»•    (bartar  'z  sipihr)  —  higher  than  the  sphere. 
£j}  (luh  u  kalam)  are  the  pen  and  the  tablet  with  which  the  decrees  of 
Fate  were  said  to  have  been  written. 

§  Lit.  Tablet  and  pen  and  heaven  and  hell  are  within  thee. 
Compare  the  following  lines  of  Rumi :  — 

"The  sev'nth  earth  I  traversal  —  the  sev'nth  heav'n  explor'd, 
But  in  neither  discern'd  I  the  Court  of  the  Lord ! 
I  questioned  the  Pen  and  the  Tablet  of  Fate, 
But  they  whispered  not  where  He  pavilions  His  state; 
My  vision  I  strain'd,  but  my  God-scanning  eye 
No  trace,  that  to  Godhead  belongs,  could  descry. 
My  glance  I  bent  inward,  within  my  own  breast, 
Lo,  the  vainly  sought  elsewhere!    the  Godhead  confess'd !  " 
Translation  by  Prof.  F.  Falconer  in  the  Asiatic  Journal,  quoted  by  Mr.  Ddn- 
can  Forbes. 

43 

*  Jihun,  the  River  Oxus. 

[48] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  VIII,  5 
F.G.,V,i7 
Gar.,V,  3 
McC.,i4o 
N.,67 
Vill.,i99 
Von  S.,  48 
W..7O 


Cad.,  87 

F.G.,V,3o 

H.A.,31 

Vill.,94 

VonS.,i46 


Bod.,I,i3 
Gar., VIII,  1 4 
McC.,70 
N.,5o 

vm.,68 

VonS.,i35 
W.,53 


And  Earth  is  but  a  caravanserai, 

A  resting  place  of  fleeting  night  and 
day, 

The  remnant  of  a  feast,  where  Jam- 
shy  d  sate, 

The  tomb  *  of  many  a  Bahram  passed 
away. 

44 

Thrust    into    life    Avithout    my    OAvn 

consent, 
Thrust    back    to    death,    with    who 

knows  what  intent  ? 
Arise,   bright  saki,  fill  the  cup  with 

wine 

And  drown  the  burden  of  my  dis- 
content. 

45 
And  on  that  day  when  Heav'n  is  rent 

in  twain, 
And    stars   grow    dim,    and    shining 

planets  wane, 
I'll  seize  the -Master  by  the  robe  and 

cry:  - 
"Why  cast  us  thus  from  life  to  death 

again  ?  " 


A,C,D,E, 
F.G.II 


A,B,C,D, 


A,C,D,E, 
F,  G,  H 


43 

*  Whinfield  reads  _,_3  (gur),  the  tomb,  while  Ihe  Calcutta  MS.  reads  j-*£ 
(kasr),  the  palace.  I  have  followed  Mr.  Whinfield's  reading  because  the  use  of 
the  word  gur,  which  was  also  Bahrain's  surname,  is  a  play  upon  words  after 
Omar's  own  heart. 

4  [4Q] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  V,  36 

F.G..V.97 

Gar. ,11,  7 

McC.,44o 

N.,4oo 

Vill.,820 

VonS.,  170 

W.,442 


Bod. ,11, 10 
Cad. ,3 
Gar.,  i,  a3 
H.A.,6 
McG.,24 
N..II 
Yill.,20 
Von  S.,  i4i 
W.,io 


Bod.,  IV,  2 

F.G.,V,53 

McC.,6g 

N.,4g    * 

Vill.,77 

Von  S.,  23 

W.,52 


46 

Ah,  would  this  earth  did  yield  a  place 
of  rest 

To  pilgrims  by  the  long,  long  road 
oppress'd, 

Whence,  alter  many  a  year,  we  might 
return, 

As  trampled  flow  rs  return  from  Na- 
ture's breast  ! 

47 

Men  call  the  Koran  ' '  Fount  of  Sacred 
Lore," 

"The  Word  Supreme,"  and,  hasty, 
glance  it  o'er  ; 

But  on  the  goblet's  rim  a  text  is 
writ  * 

That  all  shall  read  and  ponder  ever- 
more. 

48 

And  if  your  heart  life's  secret  only 

knew, 
Then,  knowing  death,  'twould  know 

God's  secret  too  ; 
If,    living,    you   know   naught,    what 

.  will  you  know 
When  death  has  come  and  you  're  no 

longer  you  ? 


A,C,D,E, 
G,H 


A,B,D,E, 
F.G.II 


A,G,D,F, 
G,H 


*    oi*j.  I  (ayaO  may  mean  either  a  mark,   such  as  was  used  on  a  goblet  for 
measuring,  or  a  verse  from  the  Koran. 

[Bo] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KIIAYYA'M 


Bod.,  VIII,  9 
F.G..V.47 
Gar.,  XIII,  8 
McC.,  210 

N.,  i23 
P..  23 
Vin.,395 
VonS.,  296 
W.,ioo 


Bod., VIII,  1 3 
F.G.,V,/i6 
Gar.,  VIII,  5 
McC.,  a35 
N.,i37 
Vill.,397 
Von  S.,  290 


F.G.,V,7o 
H.P.,25 

Vill.,682 
Von  S.,  Il6 

W.,4oi 


19 
But  earth  shall  roll,  as  long  it  rolled 

before 
Our  names  were  lost,  our  footprints 

all  grown  o'er  ; 
'T  was  long  completed  ere  we  touched 

its  soil, 
And  Avhen  we  're  gone  't  will  be  no 

less  nor  more. 

5o 
Khayyam,    although   this   canopy   of 

blue 
Veils    all    the    myst'ries    from    your 

mortal  view, 
Know  this,  th'  eternal  saki  oft  hath 

seen 
In  life's  deep  cup  a  myriad  things  * 

like  you. 

5i 
Naught  speaks  the  ball,  but  right  or 

left  it  goes, 
As   Fate's   relentless   mallet  *    strikes 

the  blows  ; 


A,C,D,E, 
F,H 


(hubab)  is,  literally,  a  bubble. 

5i 

*  tyL$j-;>  (chugan)  is  the  mallet  used  in  the  game  of  cbugan,  or  polo. 

f  5i  I 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  1, 12 
F.G.,V,34 
Gar.,  XI,  5 

McC.,236 

N.,ao4 
Vill.,448 
Von  S.,  a35 
W.,247 


Bod.,V,  19 

Cad.,io8 

F.G.,V,6g 

Gar.,  VII,  4 

H.A.,94 

McC.,6i 

N.,33i 

Vill.,48o 

YonS.,i44 

W.,270 


But  He  who  toss'd  thee  to  the  game's 

mad  rush  f 
He  knows  the  reason,  aye,  He  knows, 

He  knows  —  !  | 

62 

And   Thou   whom   all    creation    fain 

would  find, 
The    waters    speak    Thy    name,    the 

whisp'ring  wind  ; 
But  all  are  deaf;    Thy  face   is  ever 

near, 
But  none,  alas,   can  see,  for  all  are 

blind  I 

53 

Like  helpless  chessmen  on  the  check- 
ered blocks, 

We  're  hither,  thither  moved,  till 
Heaven  knocks 

The  luckless  pieces  from  the  crowded 
board, 

And  one  by  one  returns  them  to  the 
box. 


B,F,G,H 


f   ^  ,  >&  (tag  u  pu)  is  the  racing  and  searching  after  the  ball. 

The  Calcutta  MS.  reads    ,* ,  JL  (tag  u  du),  the  racing  and  galloping. 

J  The  last  line  has  a  weird  sound,  not  unlike  the  notes  of  the  wood  pigeon  at 
nightfall,  thus:  — 

U  danad,  U  danad,  U  danad,  U— !   breaking  off  suddenly  upon  the  personal 
pronoun  U. 

(He  knows,  He  knows,  He  knows,  He—!) 

[6s] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


W.,ia3 


Bod.,  VI,  '4 
F.G.,V,96 
Gar.,  IV,  4 
McC.,233 
N.,ia8 
P., a5 
Vill.,334 
Von  S.,  62 
W.,i55 


Cad.,3g 
F.G..V,  24 

and  63 
H.A.,35 
Vill.,  i84 


54 
And  oh,  what  hearts  the  cruel  Wheel 

hath  crushed  ! 
How  many  a  flower  the  hand  of  steel 

hath  crushed  ! 
Nor  youth,  my  son,  nor  beauty  can 

avail  - 
Full  many  a  bud  the  ruthless  heel 

hath  crushed. 

55 
And  now  the  page  of  life  is  sear  and 

rent, 
The  blossoms  fade  and  fall,  the  spring 

'is  spent  ; 
Ah,  lovely  bird  of  youth,  so  quickly 

gone, 
I  marked  not  when  you   came  nor 

when  you  went. 

56 
So  fill  the  bowl,   swift  passes  life's 

brief  day, 
And  oh  !    th'   eternal   bed   of  chilly 

clay  !  * 


56 


F,H 


A,C,D,F, 


A,R,C,D, 
E,H 


*  Lit.  "Drink  wine,  for  thou  wilt  sleep  long  beneath  the  clay."  ^5  ,  how- 
ever, may  be  read  g'd  or  gul,  and  hence  may  signify  either  clay  or  roses,  the 
meaning  being  dependent  upon  the  accent.  Whinfield's  text  and  Heron-Allen's 
transcript  of  the  Ouseley  MS.  have  the  accent  Kasra,  and  thus  make  it  clay. 
The  Ouseley  MS.  itself,  however,  has  no  accent;  while  the  Calcutta  MS.  has  the 
accent  Zamma,  which  would  make  it  roses. 

[531 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYAM 


W.,  107 


Compare 
Von  S . ,  3 1 5 


No    friend,    no    song,    no    wine,    no 


love,  —  !  f 

and  198          The  flow'r  that  dies  is   ever  passed 
away. 

67 
F.G.,V,  16       ^ea,  grasp  the  cup,*  for  all  we  love 


Bod.,  VIII,  72 

McC.,46i 

N.,372 

Vill.,7i5 

Von  S.,ga 

W.,4i5 


O'er  which  the  tendrils  of  our  hearts 

have  grown, 
Melt  swift  as  morning  dews  beneath 

the  sun, 
Shine  one  brief  hour,  and  then,  alas, 

are  gone  ! 

58 
And  though  the  cup  be  full  and  sweet, 

what  then  ? 
The  last  brief  day  of  life  must  come, 

what  then  ? 
Although  you  've  lived   an   hundred 

years  of  joy, 
Or  have  an  hundred  years  to   live, 

what  then  ? 


A,C,D,E, 
F,H 


A,C,D,E, 
F.G.H 


f   Lit.  "Without   a  familiar  and  without  a  companion  and  without  a  friend 
or  wife." 


*  i.  e.   Enjoy  the  good  things  of  life. 

There  are    several    variations  of  this   quatrain.     FitzGerald    translates   from 
A,  266. 

[54] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod., IV,  i4 
Cad.,  101 
F.G.,V,64 
Gar.,  VIII,  7 
McC.,i6o 
N.,2i7 
Vill.,46a 
W.,258 


Bod.,  VIII,  6 
Cad. ,2i 
F.G..V,  18 
Gar.,V,  a 
McC.,  i5i 
N.,69 
Yill.,2o5 
VonS.,  199 
W.,7a 


Bod.,  VIII,  Go 
F.G.,II,2o 
Gar.,V,4 
McC.,  364 
N.,35o 


59 
And  think,  from  all  the  myriads  gone 

before, 
Not  one  returns  to  'count  the  journey 

o'er  ; 
So  yield  up  naught  for  hope  of  prom- 

.   ised  bliss  ; 

Departed  once,  thou  shall  return  no 
more. 

60 

In  yonder  mansion  of  the  mighty 
dead, 

Where  Bahram  feasted,  prowling 
lions  tread, 

And  where  his  cunning  lasso  caught 
the  gur,* 

Behold,  the  gur  has  closed  o'er  Bali- 
ram' s  head. 

61 

And  yonder  palace  tow'ring  to  the 
blue, 

Where  kings,  in  homage,  to  the  por- 
tals drew, 


A,C,D,E, 
F,G,H 


A,C,D,E, 
F.G.H 


A,C,D,E, 
F.G.II 


60 

*  Gur  signifies  either  {he  wild  ass  or  the  grave.     Bahram  met  his  death  in  a 
quicksand  while  chasing  the  gur. 

Note  the  alliteration  in  this  quatrain;  the  similar  sounds  of  gaf  and  kaf  occur- 
ring thirteen  times  in  the  four  lines. 

[551 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Vill.,677 
Von  S.,  189 
W.,3g2 


Bod.,  VIII,  33 
Gar.,V,  i 
McG.,5o 
N.,237 
Vill.,492 
VonS.,  119 

w.,277 


McC.,  292 

M.,ig8 

Vill.,435 

W.,242 


I  heard  the  lonely  ring-dove  moaning 

there, 
And  sobbing  soft  her  plaintive  "Coo, 

coo,  coo  ?* 


And  once,  at  Tus,*  from  off  an  aged 

bough, 

Methought  a  raven  lit  upon  the  brow 
Of    Khosru's     skull, f    and    thus     it 

spake,  "  Oh,  king, 
What  clarion   hails   thy  royal  glory 

now  ?" 

63 
Wide  yawns  the  tomb  Avhere  you  and 

I,  sweet  friend, 
Shall  each,   in  turn,  to  lifeless  dust 

descend  ! 
Oh  draught  of  death  that  steeps  the 

very  soul 
In    dreamless   sleep,   unconscious   to 

the  end  !  * 


A,C,F,G, 
H 


A,C,D,E, 
F.G.H 


61 

*  Ku,  ku,  ku  =  Where?  Where?  Where? 
jr  (ku)  is  an  abbreviation  of  (^j  (kuja). 

62 

*  Tus  was  the  mediaeval  capital  of  Khorasan. 

f  For  the  sake  of  meter,  Khosru  is  substituted  for  Kai  Kawus.      It  is  remark- 
able that  Mr.  J.  H.  McCarthy  has  done  the  same  thing  in  a  prose  translation. 

63 

*  jUi    >,,  (ruz-i-shamar),  the  Day  of  Reckoning. 

[561 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod. ,11, 8 
Cad.,  1 3 
Gar.,  VIII,  8 
H.A.,23 
McC.,i8 
N.,43 

Von  S.,g4 
W.,46 


Bod. ,11, 12 

Cad.,  9 1 

H.A.,gi 

McC.,3a3 

N.,aoo 

Vill.,433 

W.,244 


Bod.,  VI,  5 
Cad.,  6 1 
F.G.,V,i5 
Gar.,  I,  27 
H.A.,68 


64 

Khayyam,*why  drown  thyself  in  sor- 
row here  ? 

What   though    thy    sins   like    ocean 
sands  appear? 

Mercy  can  reach  thee,  though  it  pass 
the  pure  ; 

'T  is  made  lor  sinners,  wherefore  dost 
thou  fear  ? 

65 

Go  toss  commandment  *  to  the  pass- 
ing wind, 

Nor    with   tradition  f  keep    thy  soul 
confined  ; 

Pay  hate  with  love,  enjoy  the  ruddy 
wine, 

Nor  fear  the  grave,  nor  what  there  is 
behind. 

66 

Ere  Fate  lay  low  thy  head,  the  goblet 
drain, 

Bring  forth  the  rosy  cup  and  staunch 
thy  pain  ;  — 


65 


A.B.C.D, 


A,B,C,D, 
E.F.G.II 


A,B,C,D, 
E,F,G,H 


*  The  Farizat  are  the  divine  ordinances. 

f  The  Sunnat,  or  Traditions,  are  held  in  great  reverence  by  Muhammadans, 

Whinfield  reads,          \'  '<  *  •  (  " 

jVSti;  ^^.  «^JLX^»    9  v^P*0  *^—--AJL» 

"Heed  not  the  Sunnat,  nor  the  law  divine,"  which  is  nearly  identical  with 
the  O  use  ley  MS. 
Nicolas  reads, 


"Des  dogmes  de  la  religion  n'admets  que  ce  qui  t'oblige  envers  la  Divinile." 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


McC.,  277 
N.,i56 
Yill.,28i 
W.,i75 


Cad.,i43 

H.A.,123 

N.,327 

Vill.,664 

W.,368 


Cad.,5o 
H.A.,36 
Vill.,97 
W.,io6 


Bod.,V,n 
F.G.,V,75 

McC.,  219 
IV. ,110 
\ill.,289 


Oh,  heedless  fool,  art  thou  a  golden 

store 
That    men    will    bury    and    dig    up 

again  ? 

67 
Drink,  if  thou  Avilt,  or  fail  to  watch 

and  pray, 
Or  break  the  fasts,  or  plunder  by  the 

way  ; 
Hear  now  the  Word  of  Truth  from 

old  Khayyam,  - 
No  loving  heart  can  wander  far  astray. 

68 
And  when  the  rose  shall  bloom  o'er 

Nature's  shrine, 
And  friends  invite,  and  buoyant 

youth  is  thine, 
Lift  high  the  bowl  —  eternal  life  is 

there  — 
And  drown  thy  sorrows  in  the  joys 

of  wine. 

69 
When  Allah  set  the  steeds  of  Heaven 

free, 
Loosed  bright  Panvm  *  and   shining 

Mushtari,f 


*  Parwin,  the  Pleiades. 


69 
58 


A,B,C,D, 
E.F.G.H 


B,F,H 


A,C,D,E, 
F;G,H 


f  Mushtari,  Jupiter, 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Von S.,  a64 


Bod., II,  a 
McC.,  287 
N.,2G8 
Vill.,542 
Yon  S.,  807 
W.,3n 


Bod.,  VII,  17 

Cad.,  116 

H.A.,io5 

N.,249 

Yill.,5o8 

W.,288 


My  life,  my  lot,  by  Kismat  J  was 
ordained ; 

And  all  my  sins  are  part  of  Des- 
tiny. 


70 

Who  fashioned  me  of  moistened  clay  ? 

Not  I! 
Who  spun  my  silk  and  wool  array  ? 

Not  I ! 
And  who  the  good  and  ill  of  all  my 

life 
Upon  my  forehead  wrote  ?     Not  I  ! 

Not  I !  ! 


71 

Then  mark  my  scanty  virtues  one  hy 
one, 

And,  ten  by  ten,  forgive  the  wrongs 
I  've  done  ; 

Nor  fan  the  flame,  and,  by  the  Proph- 
et's tomb, 

The  fire  will  die  and  anger's  heat  be 
gone. 


A,C,D,E, 
G,H 


B,F,G,II 


Kismat,  Fate. 
[59] 


Bod.  ,I,a 
Cad.,  129 
H.  A.,  109 
McC.,3i7 

N.,282 

Vill.,543 

W.,333 


Bod.,  II,  22 
F.G.,V,8o 
Gar.,  VIII,  2 
H.A.,i48 
McC.,396 
IS.,  890 
P.,  55 

Yill.,822 

VonS.,i68 
W.,432 


N.,38o 
\  ill.,  354 


72 
My  nature  oft  o'ercomes  my  might,        A,B,C,D, 

—  alas!*  F>G'H 
My  deeds  bring  woe,  howe'er  I  fight, 

—  alas  ! 

And  though  I  trust  God's  pardon  shall 

be  mine, 
The  shame  will  never  leave  my  sight, 

—  alas  ! 

73 

But  thou   who   settest  in  the  way  a        B,G,H 

snare, 
With    threats    of   hell    for    all    who 

stumble  there, 
Almighty  Spirit,   whom  the  spheres 

obey, 
Is  mine  the  sin,  or  Thine  the  greater 

share  ? 

7A 

Whate'er  my  life,  it  dawned  at  thy  j     A,C,D,F, 

command, 
Whate'er  my  nature,  'tis  what  Thou 

hast  plann'd  ; 
Nor  worse,  nor  better,  than  it  came 

from  Thee  — 
A  helpless  thing,  the  creature  of  Thy 

hand. 


G,H 


*  Lit.  "What  can  I  do?" 

The  throwing  back  of  the  rhvme-\vord  several  syllables  often  occurs  in  the 
ruba  ijat. 

[60] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  IX,  66 

Cad.,  53 

F.G.,V,48 

Gar. ,1,32 

H.A.,6o 

McC.,i65 

N.,io6 

Vill.,25l 

VonS.,  276 
W.,i36 


Bod.,  X,  3 1 

F.G.,V,98 

Gar.,XUI,9 

McC.,448 

N.,457 

\'ill.,84i 

VonS.,  238 

W.,486 


Bod.,  V,  25 

F.G.,Y,99 

Gar.,  IV,  8 

McC.,378 

N.,34o 

P.,5a 

Vill.,64i 

VonS.,  1 1 

W.,379 


75 
The  caravan  of  life  moves  strangely 

on, 
It  wanes  and  fades,  then  waxes  clear 

anon  ; 
Why    fret,     bright     saki,     o'er    to- 

morrow's   doom  ? 
Gome,  fill  the  goblet,  ere  the  night 

be  gone  ! 


But  oh,   that  God  would  make  this 

world  anew, 
Before  mine  eyes  rebuild  it,  fair  and 

true, 
Or  from  the  roll  of  life  blot  out  my 

name, 
Or  take   from   life   my  wrongs    and 

burdens  too. 

77 
If  I  were  God,  how  swift  mine  anger 

dire 
Would  sw£ep  away  this  universe  en- 

tire 
And  build  a  better,  where  the  soul, 

set  free, 
Might    sometimes    reach   its    inmost 


heart's  desire. 


A,B,C,D, 
E.F.G.H 


G,H 


A,C,D,E, 
F.G.H 


61 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


H.A.,49 


Bod.,  IV,  4 
Cad. ,62 
H.A.,5i 
McG.,  i g5 
]N7.,i57 
P.,3i 
VilL.aSg 
Von  S.,  289 
W.,i76 


Bod.,X,4o 
Cad.,88b 
F.G.,V,65 
Gar.,  XII,  7 
IN.,  464 


A  voice  that  haunts  the  path  of  pleas- 
ure *  calls, 

And  ev.'ry  hour  the  awful  warning 
falls  - 

"  Know  now,  forever,  when  you  die, 
YOU  DIE, 

And  Spring's  soft  voice  no  human 
soul  recalls  !  " 

79 
Then  oh,  what  profit  to  the  sphere  * 

my  hirth  ? 
Or,  when  I  die,  what  will  my  death 

be  worth  ? 
Or  who  beneath  the  vault  of  Heav'n 

can  tell 
Or  why  we  come,  or  Avhy  we  leave 

the  earth  ? 

80 
And  though  they  be  the  noble  and 

the  wise, 
Though  prophets  come  and  lofty  seers 

arise, 


A,B,C,D, 
E,F,H 


A,B,C,D, 
E,F,G,H 


A,C,  D.E, 
F,  G,  H 


*  Lit.  This  intellect  that  searches  the  path  of  happiness. 

79 

*  ^ >»A   (gardiin)  is  the  celestial  sphere. 

[6al 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Vill.,366 
VonS.,  162 
W..2O9 


Bod.,  IV,  3 
F.G.,V,26 
McC.,252 
N.,  1 20 
Vill.,328 
VonS.,  267 
W.,  147 


Cad.,  80 

H.A.,48 

ViH.,2go 

W.,  222 


Bod.,  IV,  20 
Cad.,  1 1 3 
H.A.,ioi 

McC.,82 

IS.,  2^0 

Vill.,507 
W.,28o 


E'en  these  emerge  not  from  the  sable 

night, 
But  tell  their  dreams  and  then  reclose 

their  eyes. 

81 
And  those  who  led  the  mighty  hosts 

of  thought, 
And  scaled  the  heav'ns  and  many  a 

myst  ry  sought, 
Became      amazed       whene'er      they 

thought  of  Thee, 
Their  minds  were  dizzied  and   their 

wisdom  naught. 

82 
And  we  who  love  to  drain  the  flagon 

deep, 
And  ye  who  pray  and  nightly  vigils 

keep, 
We  neither  know,  we  both  are  cast 

adrift ; 
But  One,  He  knows;   the  rest  are  fast 

asleep. 

83 
Take  counsel,  then,  and   give   thine 

ear  to  me, 

For  Allah's  sake  cast  off  hypocrisy  ; 
The  future  is  forever,  earth  but  now ; 
For  one  brief  hour  sell  not  eternity. 

"~[631 


A,C,  F,  G, 
H 


B,  F.II 


A,B.C,  L), 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Cad.,  78 
F.G.,  V,54 
H.A.,5o 
Vill.,a67 
W.,ai6 


Bod.,X,9 

Cad.,  98 

F.G.,V,37 

Gar.,  Ill,  9 

H.A.,89 

H.P.,7 

McC.,a45 

N.,3II 

P.,  36 

Vill.,434 

W.,a53 


Bod.,  III.  3 

Cad.,  10 

F.G.,V,36 

Gar.,  Ill,  3 

H.A.,9 

McC.,73 

N.,a8 

Vill.,8o 

VonS.,5 

W.,3a 


84 
"  Oh,   learned  fools,"    the    voice   of 

Wisdom  saith. 
' '  Why    spend  the  hours    in   talk  of 

life  and  death  ? 
'T  is  dried  up  fruit,  go  taste  the  vine 

instead  ; 
On  what  can  ne'er  be  known,   why 

waste  your  breath  ?  " 

85 
When  in  the  market-place  I  stopped 

one  day 
To  watch  a  potter  pounding  his  fresh 

clay, 
The  clay  addressed  him  in  a  mystic 

tongue  — 
' '  Once  I  was  man,  so  treat  me  gently, 

pray  !  " 

86 
Then  thought  I  how  that  handle  once 

embraced 

With     yearning    touch    some    peri- 
slender  waist ; 
And    how,     perchance,     those     sad, 

complaining  lips 
In  rapture,  once,  on  other  lips  were 

placed. 


B,H 


A,  B,C,D, 
E,  F,  G,  H 


A,B,C,D, 
E,  F,  G,  H 


*  This  quatrain  is  not  a  faithful  paraphrase. 

The  last  line,    \>&z  j»>*»  «.•>•-«•  t»'.n-=*vc.  i>(-$ ,  is  so  ohscure  that,  as  Mr.  Heron- 
Allen  remarks,  it  bailies  satisfactory  translation. 

[641 


RUBA1YAT  OF  OMAR  KHAYYA'M 


Bod.  ,VIII,  7 
Gar., III. 7 
McC.,  270 
N.,119 
P. ,22 

Vill.,264 
VonS.,4 


Bod. ,111, 7 
McC.,  id', 
N.,76 

Vill.,i82 

VonS.,iG3 

W.,78 


F.G.,V,3a 
McC. ,2 
Vill.,6a8 
W.,38ij 


87 
But  on  the  potter  sped,  nor  seemed 

to  feel 
The    touching   pathos    of  his   clay's 

appeal, 
Nor  thought  hcnv  some  poor,  helpless 

human  frame 
Lay  prone  before  him  on  the  busy 

wheel. 

88 
Oh,    thoughtless    man,    this    mortal 

clay  is  naught ;  - 
The  azure  vault  of  Heav'n    itself  is 

naught ;  - 
Then   take  what  joy  you  may,  your 

very  life 
Is  but  a  passing  breath  —  and  that  is 

naught ! 

No  mortal  eye  can  find  the  hidden  key, 
Nor  read  the  secret  of  eternity  ;  * 
Of   Thee   and   me,   behind  the   veil, 

they  speak, 
But  when  'tis  rent,  no  more  of  Thee 

and  me.  t 


F,(J,H 


A,  C,  D,  E. 
F,  II 


89 

*  Ji'     .l~<  ( Asrar-i-Azal),  the  secret  of  eternilv. 
Compare  Qualrain  iSo.  3d. 

f  The  \\orld-figmenl  of  Duality  (Thee   and  me)  disappears  when  the  veil  of 
human  illusion  i ;  rent  and  all  are  one  in  God. 
3  I  65  I 


UUBA'IYAT  OF  OMAR  KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  VII,  4i 

H.A.,i4o 

McC.,34i 

IS.,  384 

Vill.,739 

Von  S . , 1 60 

W.,4a8 

(Compare 

F.G.,V,a8 


Bod.,V,ao 
Gar.,  X,  8 
McG.,63 
N.,333 
Vill.,484 
Von  S . , 1 90 


Bod.,I,a5 
Gar.,  XI,  6 
McG.,  101 
N:,3g 

Vill.,  192 
Von  S-.gS 
W.,43 


9° 
For  oh,  bright  saki,  they  who  passed 

before, 
To    dust    have   dropped  beyond   the 

mystic  door  ; 
Their   lofty   themes   have   turned   to 

empty  wind, 
And    now    their    lips   lie   locked   for 


evermore. 


91 


A,B,  C,  D, 


That  ancient  puzzle*  of  the  spheres,    '    A,  C,  D,  E 
ah  me,  F.G.H 

What  endless  toil  to  read  the  mystery  ! 

T  is  but  a  phantom  from  the  bound- 
less deep, 

Blown  back  again  o'er  death's  mys- 
terious sea  ! 


But    life    shall    rise    from    death   on        F,  G.II 

soaring  wing, 
And  all  our  fears  from  baseless  visions 

spring  ; 
Since  Isa's  breath  revived  my  wearied 

soul, 
Where  art  thou,  death?     Oh,  grave, 

where  is  thy  sting  !  * 


*  The  Mava  or  illusion  of  life. 


91 


*  Li  I.-  "Eternal  death  has  washed  its  hands  of  mv  being." 

[661 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.  ,I,i 
McC.,439 
N.,365 
Vill.,727 
Von  S.,  1 20 
W.,  4io 


93 

Sad,  severed  from  the  sea,  a  rain-drop 

sighed  ; 
And,    smiling    gently,    thus    the    sea 

replied  :  - 
"  Oh,  naught  divides  us,  for  in  God 

we  dwell, 
But  one  in  all,  for  all  in  One  abide."* 


G,H 


93 

*  This  quatrain  scarcely  admits  the  possibility  of  a  satisfactory  translation. 
Omar  tells  us  that  in  truth  there  is  none  other  but  God,  in  whom  we  are  all  one; 
and  that  it  is  only  by  the  revolution  of  a  single  point  that  we  are  separated. 

The  point  to  which  he  refers  is  the  dot  in  the  word  V.V*^  (Khuda),  the  God 
who  is  the  fountain  of  life  and  from  whom  we  are  only  temporarily  separated. 

At  the  soul's  birth,  it  may  be  said,  the  revolution  of  the  point  commences, 
and  \^>s.  (Khuda)  becomes  \»\j>  (juda),  a  word  indicating  separation.  But 
the  separation  is  not  forever.  As  the  point  continues  to  revolve,  \^C>  (juda) 
again  becomes  \\jv  (Khuda);  and  finally  our  souls  are  reabsorbed  in  the  divine 
fountain  whence  they  came. 

This  stanza,  considered  in  connection  with  stanzas  101,  102,  and  108,  appears 
to  indicate  the  conclusion  to  which  Omar's  knowledge  of  natural  philosophy  had 
led  him.  Matter  is,  to  him,  indestructible,  eternal,  although  its  form  is  capable 
of  endless  changes;  — the  human  body  of  to-day  is  the  earthen  vessel  or  the 
fragrant  flower  of  to-morrow;  —  the  verdure  that  clothes  the  river's  bank  to-day 
was,  yesterday,  the  form  of  a  lovely  woman;  and  even  the  very  dust  beneath  our 
feet  was  once,  perhaps,  the  beaming  eye  of  a  ravishing  beauty. 

So,  too,  the  philosopher-poet  must  have  seen  that  energy  is  indestructible,  — 
now  taking  one  shape,  now  another;  ever  with  us  indeed,  but  often  hiding  its 
presence  behind  the  mask  of  an  unknown  form.  To-day,  the  rays  of  a  summer 
sun  fall  upon  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  distant  mountains,  and  to-morrow  the  snow 
is  a  mighty  river  rushing  onward  to  the  sea;  —  to-day,  the  sun  smiles  upon  the 
ocean,  coaxing  its  vapours  up  to  Heaven,  and  to-morrow  a  gentle  rain  falls  upon 
the  face  of  the  thirsty  soil;  —  now,  the  hot  iron  is  plunged  into  the  vessel  of  cold 
water  and  its  heat  is  lost,  but  the  water  has  become  warmer,  for  that  which  was 
lost  has  been  found. 

Hence,  arguing  from  analogy,  Omar  seems  to  have  considered  life  as  a  thing 
indestructible, — changeable  in  form,  as  matter  and  energy  are  changeable,  and, 

[67  1 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


vm.,  689 

W.,4oo 


Bod.,V,5 
Gad.,  1 5 
H.A.,24 
McC.,62 
N.,46 

P..9 

Vill.,i77 

VonS.,i33 

W.,49 


Oh  Thou  my  strength,  my  very  be- 
ing s  whole, 

Heart  of  my  heart,  and  soul  within 
my  soul, 

From  Thee  alone  I  come,  and  Thou 
art  mine, 

My  source,  my  life,  my  parting  spir- 
it's goal.* 

95 
And  though  in  synagogue,  mosque, 

school,  or  cell, 
Men,    seeking    Heav'n    and    fearing 

Sheol,  dwell  ; 
Yet  he  \vho  knows  the  secret  truth 

of  God 
Sows  no  such  chaff  and  scorns  the 

fear  of  Hell.* 


F,  H 


A,  B,C,D, 
E.F.G.H 


like  them,  eternal,  immortal.  Thus,  when  our  turn  comes,  we  shall  sufler  no 
more  separation,  but,  led  back  from  \  vkrs. (separation)  to  \Jo^  (God),  we  shall 
rest  once  more  upon  the  bosom  whence  we  sprang. 

While  the  conclusion  thus  reached  is  in  accordance  with  the  Vedanta  doctrine 
of  the  reabsorption  of  the  individual  soul  in  the  Impersonal  Self,  the  Vedanta 
philosophers  taught  that  all  matter  was  part  of  the  world-figment,  a  mere  illusion, 
and  hence  not  eternal;  but  whether  Omar  shared  this  view,  or  arrived  at  his  con- 
clusion in  the  way  I  have  suggested,  his  belief  in  the  ultimate  reabsorption  of  the 
soul  in  God  is  beyond  doubt. 

9* 

*  This  quatrain  evidently  refers  to  the  Sufi  belief  that  we  finally  return  to  the 
Fountain  of  Life. 

95 

*  "Souls  reabsorbed  in  the  Divine  Essence  have  no  concern  with  the  material 
Heaven  and  Hell." —  \\HINFIELD. 

[681 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


F.G.,V,48 

Vill.,43i 

W.,a54 


Bod.,  VIII,  53 
F.G..V,  25 
Gar., XII,  12 
McC.,434 

N.,337 

P.,5i 

Vill.,638 

VonS.,8 

W.,3-6 


Bod.,  I,  38 

F.G.,V,5o 

Gar.,VlII,i6 

McC.,46 

IN.,  20 

Vill.,i3o 
W.,24 


96 

Deep  from  the  circle  of  the  hidden 
sphere, 

To  each,  in  turn,  the  cup  of  death 
draws  near  ; 

Then  do  not  sigh,  but  when  it  comes 
to  thee, 

Take  thou  the  cup  and  drink  it  with- 
out fear. 

97 

And  ye  who  ponder  over  creed  and 
prayer, 

And  ye  who,  dazed  by  doubt,  well- 
nigh  despair, 

Oh,  hear  the  voice  that,  sudden,  cries 
aloud  — 

"Fools,  the  right  path  is  neither 
there,  nor  there  !  " 

98 
'T  is   but   a  breath  betwixt  the  false 

and  true, 
'Twixt  faith  and  doubt,  and  soul  and 

body  too  ; 
Oh,    carpe  diem!    all    that    life    can 

give 

Is  one  short  breath,  and  then  —  ah, 
would  we  knew  ! 

[69] 


A,C,  D,E, 
F,H 


A,C,D,F, 
G,  H 


A,C,D,E 
F.G.1I 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  VII,  44 

McG.,345 

N.,389 

Vill.,775 

W.,43i 

Compare 

F.G..V,  35 


Cad.,4g 
H.A.,39 
Yill.,57 
W.,io5 


Bod.,  1, 3a 
F.G.,V,5i 
Gar.,X,  i 
McG.,58 
N.,73 
Vill.,  i75 
Von  S.,  62 
W.,75 


99 
Embarrassed  offspring  of  the  primal 

four, 
And  sev'nfold  Heav'n,  —  the  myst'ry 

whelms  thee  o  er  ; 
Drink  deep,  my  friend,  I've  told  thee 

many  a  time, 
Departed  once,  thou  shall  return  no 

more. 

100 

The  wine 's  a  ruby  and  the  cup  a  mine  ; 
The  cup  is  body,  and  the  soul  is  wine  ; 
But  ah,  the  crystal  cup  contains  a 

tear,  - 
A  bleeding  heart  is  hidden  in  the  vine. 

101 

And  lo,  this  vintage*  running  through 

the  veins 

Of  all  creation,  o'er  creation  reigns; 
In  plants  and  creatures  many  a  form 

sustains, 
And  though  they  die,  the  essence  still 

remains,  f 


A,C,D,E, 
F,G,H 


B,F,H 


A,C,D,E, 
F,G,H 


*  For  »»U  $  (an  badah),  that  vintage,  as  Wbiofield,  Nicolas,  and  others  read, 
the  Calcutta  MS.  reads  ,^  ^\  (an  mah),  that  moon,  a  variation  which  perhaps 
was  intended  for  ^~  0T  (an  mai),  that  vintage,  a  reading  that  would  accord 
better  with  the  other  texts. 

f  The  later  followers  of  the  Vedanta  sages  taught  that  the  soul  can  pass 
through  many  conditions,  from  the  lowest  terrestrial  organism  to  that  of  a  god- 
like denizen  of  Heaven,  by  a  process  of  gradual  development ;  but  that,  however 

[70! 


RUBA'IYAT  £>F    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod.,  VIII,  92 

F.G.,V,a3 

McG.,i56 

N.,7o 

Vill.,i87 

VonS.,  5o 

W.,73 


Bod.,  VI,  a4 
F.G.,V,20 
Gar., IV,  3 
McC.,i23 
N.,5g 
Vill.,6i 
VonS. ,84 
W.,6a 


Bod. ,111,  4 
Gar.,  VI,  7 
McC.,75 
N.,29 
Vill.,n3 


»       IO2 

.  V  t  .  i 

And    when,    the    clouds    arise,    with 

Imber's  gkime,  .     * 
And  rains  *  caressing,  coax  the  earth 

to  bloom, 
Oh,   think  ^hat  blossoms  from  our 

dust  shall 'spring,' 
And   throw   their    fragrance   on   the 

breeze,  -*-  for  whom  ? 


And    those    soft    robes    yon    shaded 

streamlets  wear, 
Perchance    may    spring    from    some 

celestial  fair  ; 
Ah,   scorn  them   not,   nor,   careless, 

tread  them  o'er  ; 
Who  knows  what  beauty's  head  lies 

resting  there  ?     '. 


Nay,    crush  them   not,  for  long  ere 

we  were  born, 
Day  changed  to  night  and  night  again 

to  morn  ; 


A,C,D,  E, 
F,  G,  H 


A.C,  D.E, 
F.G.H 


A,C,D,  E, 
F,  G,H 


great  its  virtue,  it  cannot  be  reabsorbed  in  the  Divine  Essence  until  it  learns  the 
one  great  truth  of  its  impersonal  unity  with  the  Undiflerenced  Self,  —  with  the 
great  First  Principle  that  underlies  the  world-figment,  or  Maya,  of  which  even 
the  heavens  and  the  gods  are  themselves  a  part. 

The  doctrine  of  Metempsychosis  appears  to  have  been  absorbed  by  the  early 
Aryans  from  some  of  the  lower  races  with  whom  they  came  into  contact,  and  it 
certainly  mars  the  singular  beauty  of  their  earlier  belief. 

[71] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Yon  S.,  263 
W.,33 


Bod.,Vm,35 
Cad.,  126 
F.G..V.3I 
Gar.,  VI,  6 
McC.,  ig4 
N.,269 
Vill.,586 
VonS.,3o8 
W.,3ia 


H.A.,i26 
W.,386 


This    dust,    perchance,    was    once   a 

beaming  eye, 
Or  lovely  mole,  by  bright-eyed  beauty 


worn. 


io5 

Come,    friend,    an  hour  of  pleasure 

ere  we  go, 
For  life's  sweet  breath  will  soon  be 

sinking  low  ; 
To-morrow's    dawn    may   find    both 

you  and  me 
With  those  who  went  sev'n  thousand 

years  ago.* 


1 06 

And  yonder  skies  too  often  tear  away 
Our  dearest  friends,  and  all  our  hopes 

betray  ; 
So,    Darling,  live  —  live  mm,   while 

life  is  ours  ; 
To-morrow's  naught,  and  naught  is 

yesterday. 


A,C,D.E, 
F,G,H 


B,F,H 


io5 

*  Whinfield  appends  the  following  note  :  — 

"  Badauni  (II,  33^)  sajs  the  creation  of  Adam  was  7000  vears  before  his  time." 


Cad-.gS 
H.A.,92 


Bod.,  VI,  29 
McG.,  1 20 
N.,3 

Vill.,22 

W.,a 


Bod. ,1,5 

McC.,  122 

N.,2 
Vill.,21 


IO7 

And  see,  this  cup  hath  rose-red  wine, 
-  may  he  ; 

This  crystal  cup  's  a  ruby  mine,  - 
may  he  ; 

This  water   sparkles   with   a  melted 
gem; 

Through   moonlight's  veil   the    sun- 
beams shine,  —  may  be. 

1 08 
Who  brought  thee  here  this  eve  at 

twilight,  —  who  ? 
From    harem's    gloom    to    sparkling 

moonlight,  —  who  ? 
Who  raised  thy  veil  to  fan  the  love 

that  burns 
When    thou   art    absent ;    who,    my 

lovelight,  —  who  ? 

109 
Thou  precious  jewel  of  this  yearning 

heart, 
Choice   of  my  spirit,  of  my  soul  a 

part,  - 
What  is  so  dear  to  me  as  life,  but 

thou  ? 
And  sweeter  far  than  life  itself   thou 

art. 


73] 


A,C,D,E, 
F.  G,  II 


G 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Cad.,  i 

F.G.,V,ioo 

Gar., II,  4 

H.A.,5 

McC.,9 

N.,8 

Vill.,4 

Von  S.,  96 

W.,7 


Bod.,  IX,  107 
Gar., II,  3 
McC.,47 
N.,94 
Vill.,  202 
VonS.,3i3 


H.A.,58 
Vill.,  374 
W.,2i4 


no 
Drink  'neath  the  moonbeams,   greet 

me  with  a  song  ; 
To-night  we  live,  sweet  moon,*  and 

love  is  strong  ; 
To-morrow,  when  we  lie  beneath  the 

sod, 
The  moon   shall  seek  us,  and  shall 

seek  us  long. 

in 
She    tears  night's    robe   and  lo,    the  i     G 

gloom  has  fled  ; 
So   drink,    my  love,    for   when    our 

souls  have  sped, 
This    selfsame    moon    will    rise    the 

same,  and  set, 
Nor  shadow  mark  the  mighty  world 

o'erhead, 


112 


Those   countless   orbs   that   roll  o'er 

Heaven  s  mam, 
Perplex  the   learn  d,    their  myst  ries 

still  remain  ; 


A,  B,  C,  D, 
E,F,G,H 


B,F,H 


*  jNote  the  play  upon  the  word  mah  in  the  line 
»U  ti  »l»  yl  «U  jr^  j-r  <jr 
Mai  nush  banur-i-mah  ai  mah  ki  mah 

The  first  mah  signifies  the  moon;  the  second,  a  beautiful  woman;  and  the  third, 
cither  the  moon  or  the  month. 

L74] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod. ,1,8 
F.G.,V,5i 

.-iii'l  .'•' 

Gar.,  X,  5 

McC.,346 

N.,443 

Vill.,757 

VonS.,  172 

W.,475 


Bod.,  Ill,  17 

Gar.,X,a 

McC.,4a6 

N.,3a8 

Vill.,639 

W.,369 


Oh,  seek  not  whence  they  come,  or 

whither  bound, 
The    wise    grow    dizzy    'neath    their 

mighty  train. 

n3 
And  Thou,  who  hidest  now  behind 

the  blue, 

In  all  existence  art  Thou  seen  anew  ; 
Thy  wondrous  deeds  to  please  Thy- 

self are  done  ; 
Thou  art  the  actor  and  spectator  too. 


'Tis  but  a  moment,  and  the  myst'ry  's 

gone,  - 
A  breath,  a  whisper,  and  the  secret's 

done; 
This  mighty  universe  and  all  there- 

in — 
Earth,    sky,  —  man,    angel,    God,  — 

All,  All  are  One.* 


A,C,D,E, 
F,  G,  H 


F,  G,  H 


*  Justice  is  the  soul  of  the  universe  and  the  whole  universe  is  a  body ; 
The  angels  are  the  perceptions  of  this  body ; 

The  heavens  and  the  elements  and  their  offspring  are  its  members; 
There  is  only  unity  and  the  rest  is  all  deception. 

The  belief  in  the  existence  of  God  in  everything,  since  everything  is  a  part  of 
God,  pervades  the  poetry  of  the  Sufis;   thus,  Jami  writes:  — 

*  Jr-Ai  «S 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    K  H  A  Y  Y  A'M 


Compare 
Bod., IV,  16 
Cad.,  n5 
F.G.,V,83, 
83, 87 
Gar.,  Ill,  8 
H.A.,io3 
McC.,n5 
N.,243 
Vill.,5o9 
VonS.,  226 
W.,283 


n5* 
One  eve,  when  Ramazan  was  nearly 

o'er, 
I  chanced,  again,  within  the  potter's 

door, 
Where  earthen  pots  of  many  a  shape 

and  size 
Upon  the  table  lay,  and  on  the  floor. 

116 

And  some  were  wrapped  in  silence, 
others  not ; 

And  one  spake  loudly,  'mid  a  wrang- 
ling lot  — 

"Why  talk  ye  thus  and  thus,  ye 
know  not  what  ? 

Who  is  the  potter,  pray,  and  who  the 
pot?" 


Quotations 
on  left-hand 
margin  are 
translations 
of  quatrains 
found  in 
A,  B,  C.D, 
E,F,G,H 


Sometimes  the  wine,  sometimes  the  cup  I  call  Thee ; 

Sometimes  the  grain,  sometimes  the  not  I  call  Thee; 

Save  Thy  name,  there  is  not  a  letter  upon  the  tablet  of  the  universe. 

Oh,  by  what  name  shall  I  call  Thee? 

This  stanza  offers  a  good  illustration  of  the  throw-back  and  redif,  as  the  rhyme- 
words  jam,  dam,  and  nam  are  thrown  back  to  the  middle  of  their  respective  lines. 

n5 

*  This,  and  the  succeeding  quatrains,  have  only  a  slender  foundation  in  the 
ruba  iyat  of  Omar.  Suggested  by  the  work  of  Mr.  FitzGerald,  they  were  written 
prior  to  the  foregoing  translation,  and  retained,  as  already  stated  in  the  introduc- 
tion, for  the  purpose  of  indicating,  by  marginal  reference,  some  of  the  sources  of 
his  charming  Kuza  Nama. 

Those  who  are  desirous  of  consulting  the  Persian  quatrains  upon  which  they 
rest  are  referred  to  numbers  288,  126,  ig3,  218,  and  4g3  of  "Whinfield's  text, 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Compare 
F.G.,V,86 
Vill.,io3 
W.,i36 


117 

"Well,"   said  another,    "you    have 

naught  to  say  ; 

If  still  the  potter  live,  he  's  far  away; 
We  are  the  pots,  but  then,  what  do 

we  here? 
The  buyer  and  the  seller,  where  are 

they?" 

118 
Then  spake  a  vessel  of  less  comely 

make  — 
"They    say    that    when    the    potter 

comes  he  '11  break 
All  shapes   ungainly.     Are  the  pots 

to  blame 
Because   the   hand   that  made   them 

chanced  to  shake  ? 

"9 
"Thy  handle's  cracked,  my  spout  is 

all  awry, 
Nor  can  we  change  them,  howsoe'er 

we  try  ; 
For  his  mistake,  shall  we  be  thrown 

aside, 
Lest  our  ill  shape  offend  his  perfect 

eye  ? 


A,C,D,E, 
F,H 


edition  of  1888.  The  clearness  of  the  type,  the  presence  of  the  kasra-i-isafat,  and 
the  use  of  accents  that  prevent  ambiguity,  greatly  simplify  the  reading  of  this 
text. 

[77] 


RUBA'IYAT    OF    OMAR    KHAYYA'M 


Bod. ,11, 3 

F.G.,V,8* 

McG.,28i 

N.,i78 
Vill.,3i8 
VonS.,75 
W.,ig3 


Compare 

Cad.,  84 

F.G.,V,go 

H.A.,i58 

Vill.,458 

W.,ai8 


Compare 

F.G.,V,38 

McC.,i4 

Vill.,773 

W.,493 


I2O 

"Are  we  to  blame,  and  so  be  cast  to 
Hell? 

Can  this  be  true,  as  some  wise  pip- 
kins tell  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  cried  out  a  pious  little  pot, 

' '  He  '11  have  some  mercy,  and  't  will 
all  be  well !  " 

121 

And  while  they  talked,  the  time  sped 
quickly  on, 

Till  new-moon  came,  and  Ramazan  * 
was  gone  ; 

And  stealing  softly  through  the  open 
door, 

A  dusky  porter  seized  them,  one  by 

one. 

122 

And  down  the  ages  has  the  story  rolled, 
Of   red-clay    fashioned    into    human 

mould, 
And  filled  by  Allah,  with  the  breath 

.  of  life, 

Till  Death  steals  through  the  door, 
and  ALL  IS  TOLD  ! 


A,C,D,E, 
F,G,H 


B,H 


A,C,D,E, 
F,H 


*  Ramazan,  the  ninth  month  of  the  Muhammadan  year,  is  devoted  to  fasting; 
hence,  at  its  close,  the  vessels  would  be  needed  for  the  feasting  of  Shawvval,  the 
tenth  month. 


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